Making history at a church, on a stage, and out in rural Texas in latest We Belong episode

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We Belong is a quarterly streaming show dedicated to highlighting the diverse communities throughout the greater Houston region.

For the latest episode, we first visit Boynton Methodist Church, a church that’s been serving this community for more than 140 years. Recently, it got a historic designation from the State of Texas, and members have been working hard to keep the church’s unique architectural style in top shape.

Briana Conner takes us inside the historic building.

A little further south in Galveston County, Rev. Doris Benford Sr. held the world record as the longest-serving pastor of one church. Rev. Benford recently passed away, but in February, ABC13’s Rosie Nguyen was able to profile him for Black History Month, and his legacy certainly lives on.

Closer to downtown Houston, We Belong recently visited with one of Houston’s most iconic ballet dancers, Lauren Anderson. She is celebrating a 40-year career at Houston Ballet, first as a prima ballerina and now as a dance educator. After all these years, she is still breaking barriers and making history. Watch Lauren teach the next generation of young dancers to succeed here:

Houston’s diverse communities stretch far and wide, prompting producer Nancy Vazquez to trek out to Waller County. There, she found Texas Gaushala, a nonprofit farm sanctuary focused on nurturing indigenous cows. The facility has other animals, including peacocks and ducks, but its focus is on cows. The facility is tranquil, with cows roaming freely. Visitors can even take part in cow cuddling for a fee.

The Month of April is Arab American Heritage Month, and this year, Ramadan also fell in April. However, as Rosie Nguyen shows us, because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, many in the Arab American community were in a somber mood.

Finally, we end this episode of We Belong on a festive note. Recently, the Ambassadors International Ballet Folklorico came to the studios to perform several traditional dances. The organization promotes cultural exchanges between the Hispanic community and the people of various cultures in the City of Houston, as well as around the country. Now in its 45th season, the AIBF performs around the community in a variety of events. We hope you enjoy these talented dancers!