Southeast Baptist Church has gathered on the southeast side of San Antonio since 1961, meeting today in a 6,000-square-foot sanctuary that seats about 250 people on W.W. White Road. What began as a four-room house has grown into an intergenerational congregation known for its warm welcome, its Bible-centered teaching, and a willingness to reach both the neighborhood and the other side of the world.
From a Four-Room House to a 250-Seat Sanctuary
The story of Southeast Baptist begins in 1955, when members of the community recognized a need for a Baptist church on the southeast side of San Antonio. Land was purchased, and by 1961 the church had opened its doors. Generations later, the congregation still gathers on the same road, now in a sanctuary that comfortably seats 250 to 275 people. The growth from a modest four-room house to a much larger worship space reflects the steady addition of new members and what the church describes as the Lord's continued blessing on the work being done there.
Sunday Mornings at Southeast Baptist
Sunday is built around two anchors: Bible study at 9:45 AM and worship at 11:00 AM. During the Sunday School hour, adults gather for Bible study alongside a young adult class and a Spanish-language class, all meeting at the same time. The morning service begins at 11:00 AM, and the sermon is broadcast on Facebook each week starting around 11:15 AM for those who prefer to follow along from home.
Visitors will find a relaxed atmosphere. Most of the congregation dresses in casual, comfortable clothing, with some choosing to dress up and others not, and the church invites newcomers to wear whatever is comfortable. Children are a central part of the morning: a nursery is available for the littlest ones, and after a brief children's sermon during the main service, children ages three through third grade are dismissed to Children's Church for a lesson designed just for them.
Children and Youth
Children and youth have their own dedicated spaces throughout the week. Children meet on Sundays at 9:45 AM for Sunday School and during the worship service for Children's Church, then return on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM for Bible study, crafts, and fellowship. Throughout the year the children's ministry fills the calendar with an Easter Egg Hunt, summer Fun Days, a Teddy Bear Ministry, Vacation Bible School, a Christmas Party, and a Fall Fest.
Youth meet on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM under Youth Minister Adam Lopez and his wife Sarah, and again on Sunday mornings at 9:45 AM. The youth calendar stays busy with games, a Princess Night, Boys Night, summer camp, mission projects, home-bound visits, movie nights, an Adopt-a-Road clean-up, a Back to School Fun Night, See You at the Pole, the Souper Bowl of Caring, a Student Evangelism Conference, a 30 Hour Famine, a youth-led service, and a Pure Love Ceremony.
Wednesday Nights, Sisters, and Brotherhood
Wednesday evenings at Southeast Baptist are a snapshot of the whole church gathered at 6:30 PM. The children, youth, and young adult groups all meet at the same hour, and a Wednesday night worship service runs alongside them.
Two longstanding small groups meet monthly. The Sisters of Faith ladies group gathers on the first Saturday of each month at 9:00 AM for a potluck, fellowship, games, and devotion, and the women look forward to an annual Ladies Tea, a Ladies Night Out, and a Ladies Retreat each November. The Brotherhood Prayer Breakfast meets on the last Saturday of each month at 8:30 AM for devotion, prayer, and fellowship, with each man paying for his own meal. A separate Young Adult Life ministry ties together the Sunday morning class and the Wednesday evening gathering.
The Clothes Closet, Back to School, and Pakistan
Southeast Baptist's outreach starts close to home. The Clothes Closet is open every Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, with all clothing priced at twenty-five cents each or two dollars and fifty cents for a full basket. Every dollar raised stays in the community; the church works with local school districts to make sure students have what they need to stay in school, and each July the congregation hosts a Back to School Bash that distributes free school supplies.
The church's mission reach also extends overseas. Southeast Baptist has partnered with and adopted Revival Sunday School Ministry in Karachi, Pakistan, a gospel-centered program that teaches the Bible to roughly 200 children and their families each week in a primarily Muslim country.
A Faith Centered on Christ
The church's overarching mission statement is simple: "Seeking God's will in all that we do." Southeast Baptist teaches that salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and that it involves the redemption of the whole person through regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. The congregation observes two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is by immersion and is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's death to sin and resurrection to walk in newness of life. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience in which church members, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. A New Testament church, in the church's understanding, is a local body of baptized believers joined together in faith and fellowship, committed to Christ's teachings and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Pastors, Staff, and Visiting
Pastor Roland Villarreal leads the church, with Linda Willeford serving as Minister of Families and Adam Lopez and his wife Sarah leading the youth ministry. The church office can be reached at 210-333-6304, and the building sits at 2414 S.W.W. White Road in San Antonio. Giving is available through Tithe.ly, prayer requests can be submitted online, and sermons are shared on Facebook each Sunday morning.