EAGLE PASS, Texas – Burt Gilliland was great with a basketball but not with books. He was an athlete who was known and admired by many on and off the basketball court and the golf course. Yet, few knew the embarrassment he felt when he had to leave his classmates and trudge down the hall to the "special reading classroom." Gilliland had literacy needs that really were not met until he was an adult.

That’s one reason he traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas – a small city along the border with Mexico – in March for a literacy event in one of the poorest areas in the United States.

"Because of my background, I was eager to go to Eagle Pass and share books and Jesus’ love with needy children and their families," Gilliland said.

Gilliland was one of 10 members of CBF partner Western Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, who traveled to Eagle Pass to serve with Literacy ConneXus, a nonprofit which helps churches throughout Texas come alongside people in reducing poverty. Literacy ConneXus is a partner with Together for Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

As part of the trip, church members helped at a Family Reading Fair, where several organizations partnered to give 16 local families a bookcase, seven children’s books and two Bibles. The bookcases, constructed by church members, were decorated by children during the fair.

"This new library in our home will encourage us all to read more," said Lucia Martinez, a mother of four children.

"These books will be a foundation for time spent together as a family for reading. Reading together will give us more unity as a family," said Bianca Ramirez.

Called Books for the Border, the small libraries are a family literacy project aimed at increasing literacy of both children and parents, who often struggle to learn English and many times cannot read or write in Spanish or English.

As a Together for Hope (TFH) partner, Literacy ConneXus plans to take Books for the Border to the seven border counties where TFH ministers. Because literacy and poverty rates often correlate, Books for the Border will be an important step toward affecting change and breaking the cycle of economic disparity in these counties along the Texas-Mexico border.

"Long-term effectiveness in reducing poverty must address root causes such as illiteracy," said Tom Prevost, a CBF poverty initiative specialist who works with Together for Hope. "Books for the Border is a vital piece of our coming alongside folks as we try to obey our Lord in serving the least of these."

"The problem is that poverty and other factors limit the access of too many children to the fundamental experience of early literacy," said Lester Meriwether, founder of LiteracyConnexus. "Research indicates that children who are read to at an early age (0-3) develop greater capacity for learning than those who are not. The presence of books in a child’s home makes a significant difference in the development of the child’s capacity to learn."

There are opportunities for churches to become involved with Books for the Border, whether hosting an event, constructing bookcases or donating supplies.

"Our intent is to heighten awareness for those held in poverty throughout our state and that participating churches will return to their own communities with a fresh heart for the poor and illiterate in their own communities and elsewhere," Meriwether said.

For more information, visit www.literacyconnexus.org or www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.