Remarkable Women: Celia Halfacre

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Pastors can be confidants and friends for many, but one Brownsville pastor has made it her mission to go above and beyond, not just for her parishioners, but for the entire community.

In this segment of our remarkable women series, we introduce Pastor Celia Halfacre. 

"I didn't know god would call someone like me to be a pastor and I really thought pastors had to be serious and a lot holier than I am," said Halfacre. "I am silly and I am proof that god has a good sense of humor."

Celia Halfacre is the pastor at the First Methodist Church in Brownsville and is far from your average pastor. She has a doctorate in ministry and sits on the board at Good Neighbor Settlement House.

"The way we love god is by loving our neighbors and that's how I try to live my life," said Halfacre.

Celia works with the Brownsville Housing Authority in hopes of revitalizing the southmost area.

She works closely with the Texas Ramp Project for mobility-impaired families and at the school across the church, providing guidance and treats for teachers each week.

However, it is her work on the border that has had an international impact.

"We got a call after Title 42 ended and we said we have to figure out how to feed people," said Halfacre.

That is exactly what she did. Halfacre partnered with the Good Neighborhood Settlement in Brownsville to coordinate how they could feed people who cross the border through Brownsville.

"We started making sandwiches from 200 to 1,000 sandwiches a day," said Halfacre.

This year, they have served over 38,000 immigrants who have passed through Brownsville.

She hopes that small gesture of hope trickles down from person to person and spreads from Brownsville to the rest of the world.

"We all want to believe that and maybe we believe that for other people but god put us here to love others, everyone who walks through the doors of this church even those that don't walk through those doors," said Halfacre.