Three Cross Meat Ministry aims to feed thousands
Lone Star Cowboy Church’s program set a goal to distribute 72,000 meals this year in Montgomery County
MONTGOMERY — The Lone Star Cowboy Church’s Three Cross Meat Ministry is on a mission to feed thousands of Montgomery County residents this year.
The ministry has fed nearly 54,000 pounds of meat or about 216,000 meals since 2004. Now its goal is to distribute 18,000 pounds or about 72,000 meals of high-quality meat from the ministry’s own cattle in 2021.
“We have always looked for ways to partner with someone else and to make sure what we are doing is a good thing for us, it’s a good thing for the other person, and it will promote the gospel,” said Darla Weaver, director of Three Cross Meat Ministry.
Over the years, the ministry has distributed to nonprofit groups as well as faith-based organizations and food banks. One of the church’s ministries even takes beef to the Salvation Army in Conroe where the members cook meals for the men, women and families at the homeless shelter.
It all began 17 years ago when Weaver was leading a Bible study with a group of women at the New Life Women’s Center in Montgomery.
“They kept falling asleep on me, so I asked them ‘Why do you keep falling asleep on me during the study?’ ” Weaver recalled. “They said, ‘We just haven’t had any real protein in a very long time. We have beans, but we haven’t had any meat.’ ”
“I said, ‘Well, we have a cowboy church, I’m a rancher’s daughter, I can find meat,’ ”
Weaver said with a chuckle. “So, I did what every Southern girl does, and I called ‘The Momma.’ ”
Weaver’s family has operated Noack Herford Ranch in Rockdale since 1921. During the conversation with her mother, she asked for a bull to process and turn into hamburger. The church was still small and “hurting for money,” but Weaver was able to purchase a large chest freezer and fill it with meat for the women’s center.
“And we’ve been giving meat to them ever since,” Weaver said.
Today, the ministry keeps 125 head of Corriente steers for team roping at the Lone Star Cowboy Church, 21627 Eva St., in Montgomery, and another 250 head of Corriente cows at its partner ranch in its breeding program.
The ministry also accepts donated beef, wild game, venison, pork, fish and chickens. Fleming’s Wild Game has partnered with the ministry so any hunter who shoots a deer can pay $65 for processing. The sponsor will process the whole deer into hamburger and give it to the ministry to distribute.
“A lot of people around here love to have wild game or venison but they just don’t have the opportunity to go hunt,” said Weaver. “I thought we can actually utilize all of these hunters who may shoot a deer and their freezer’s full and they want to donate the meat to someone.”
The ministry provides 500 pounds of meat a month to the Montgomery County Food Bank and has provided meat to families in need and first responders during natural disasters. Two weeks ago,the ministry distributed its hamburger and wild game during an emergency mobile market at the church for families suffering from power and water outages during the winter storm.
“Three Cross gives with a true Texas generous spirit and is making a large impact in our community,” said Kristine Marlow, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Food Bank.
The church provided a “Farm to Family” mobile pantry for six weeks during the pandemic. Some of the church members delivered food to homes in need, including people who lost their jobs and income or were elderly.
“It’s very satisfying to know that I have access to something that people need and that I can find a way to get it to them,” Weaver said.
Weaver, who is an ordained minister along with her husband, Randy, has taken over the ranching side of the ministry since last May.
“All I ever wanted to be was a rancher. I didn’t have this preacher-wife, ordained-minister thing anywhere in my sights when I was younger,” she said.
“This has been like a dream come true for me to be a part of ministry and do what I love to do, which is to make sure that people have food and they have their needs met as best as I can do.”