St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Mineola was a beehive of activity last week.

The Mexican Consulate set up its Consulate on Wheels Monday through Friday at the church.

Silvia Reyes of Mineola has been working with the consulate for several years to set up an operation in Wood County, and with the church’s partnership was able to bring the needed service to the local area.

And while area residents were able to take advantage of having the consulate staff available, it also drew people form a wide ranging area.

Pastor Demethrius Boyd said he met one man who had driven his truck from St. Louis, Mo. for his appointment.

As Reyes explained, the consulate offices – the nearest is in Dallas – stay so busy that they are very difficult to get appointments with.

Laura Ruiz de la Vega, who is in charge of the Consulate on Wheels, said she and her staff of nine saw about 1,300 people over the five days, with the peak days of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each seeing more than 300 people served.

The pandemic also impacted services, leading to the current increased demand.

They set up in the church sanctuary Monday morning and wrapped up around noon Friday.

They will be staying on the road, with another event in Henderson this week followed by weeks in Greenville and Fort Worth.

Reyes said she would like to be able to bring them back in the near future, and Ruiz said she hopes they can return.

She was complimentary of the facility and of the friendliness of the community.

“We’re happy to be here in Mineola,” she said. “We appreciate the help of Pastor Boyd to let us provide these services.”

She said primary services being sought include applications or renewals for passports, consular ID cards and other credentials needed to get banking services, purchase vehicles and more.

Boyd said that one of the missions of the church is to give people hope, and if bringing this service to the community can offer hope to some people, the church should be involved.

He said one lady remarked that this shows the community coming together, and that made it worthwhile.

Reyes noted that some folks are working to ensure all their paperwork is in order to be prepared in case immigration policies change in the future.

The services are by appointment by phone or online and are offered at no charge.