Not long after that, one of the mission workers from a local church had dinner with that boy and his parents, because the parents were curious about what he had learned. They asked a lot of questions but at one point the boy tells his father, “Dad, we’ve talked about this. It is by faith alone that you are saved, not works. The church is WRONG!”
Text Message from Connecticut
Each evening Disaster Relief teams send in a Daily Report to provide the state DR office with information from their work for that day. Normally the Unit Leader submits the report through an online reporting system. One South Carolina team leader working in Connecticut, however, was not familiar with using the online system, so he sent a text message each evening …
Camp La Vida Essays
Camp La Vida is special to me because you learn to worship God. They tell you how to pray, how to connect with God, and how to build a relationship with him. You also make new friends. Such as, cabin mates, counselors, staff, and people around the camp. With all sorts of people that will help you on your path to Jesus. We got to meet cool missionaries Who teach us how to change the world for the better! They also take time to plan activities to teach us about their awesome lifestyle. Those are just some of the reasons that Camp La Vida is special to me.
Heart4Schools (School Partnerships) P.S. I Love the Sketchers
After the first month, students were asking to use their free time, lunch time, or recess minutes to read or work with her. They loved having her to help them with their remediation and practice. The confidence, enthusiasm, and success they shared and the reflection of her support was heartwarming. It was evident that even when she wasn't there, she prayed for them, for me, and for our school.
Charleston Baptist Collegiate Ministries: Disciplemaking
Disaster Relief
While the storm was blowing, one man was pulling into his driveway. He could see trees falling in front of him, so he tried to back out, but ran into a tree that had just fallen behind him. Then he could see a tree coming down right at him, so he pulled the lever to recline his seat just before it hit. Miraculously, he was not injured.
In talking with our DR volunteers that were working in his yard weeks later, the man commented that either Someone was trying to get him, or Someone was watching over him. They responded that if God had been out to get him, he wouldn’t be here today! Now this gentleman, who previously had no interest in spiritual matters, is open to conversations about faith in God.
Partnership in Greece Serves Refugees with the Love of Jesus
The ongoing European refugee crisis is no longer front-page news, but South Carolina Baptists have not forgotten about those who continue to live in heartbreaking circumstances as they are made to flee their homelands. In late May, twenty volunteers on two different South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC) teams returned from trips serving refugees living in Greece. The relief missions are another way for South Carolina Baptists to give all people groups, around the world, the opportunity to hear the hope of the gospel.
BCMissions Argentina
Sarah, a Winthrop student, learned about completely trusting the Lord. “We have been put on this earth not to control our lives but to follow the will/plan that God has placed in front of us to glorify His kingdom. I have seen myself and my team become more and more reliant on God and His plan this summer.”
From South Carolina to the Ends of the Earth
I then opened the New Testament I had brought to 1 John 5:13 and had him read it. I asked him if knowing we have eternal life is possible if we must work for it. He thought about that but didn’t answer. I then had him read Matthew 5:48 about God’s standard being perfection. I said that if we want to work for salvation, we must be perfect – it’s impossible. He agreed.
Serve
More than 100 South Carolina Baptist Convention Churches have received training in Compassion Ministries this year. Because of these trainings, multitudes of new ministries now exist: Multi-housing ministries, ESL ministries, School partnerships, After-School Programs and on and on the list goes. These trainings and the ongoing support offered to new ministries are made possible because of the Janie Chapman Offering.
USC-Aiken Baptist Collegiate Ministries: International Missions
Bishop Branch Baptist Church
Pastor Jeff Smoak, Associate Pastor Jeff Whiten, and staff led the third annual Easter Eggstravaganza with intentionality. Pastors Jeff and Jeff engaged Central Baptist Church and Mountain Spring Baptist Church (a predominantly African American congregation) to help with the event. This is just another example of Baptists working together and pooling our resources so we can accomplish more together than we ever could by ourselves. Just another example of your mission dollars at work.
Reconcile Community Church
As we prayed and searched for places to meet in our community that, Kentland Park Baptist Church opened its doors for us to use for our Sunday services on Sunday nights and also to allow us to have a community meal during the week. Since the church is situated in the middle of a neighborhood, we have been able to meet, pray with and share the Gospel with people we would not have meet if Kentland Park had not opened its doors!
Francis Marion Baptist Collegiate Ministries
Rock Hill Dream Center Church
Conversational English Ministries
First Baptist Church, Hardeeville was committed to finding opportunities to serve the whole community, even if it was going to take some additional training and education. The church now has a growing relationship with many in the community who they previously did not know. Friendships are forming, English is being learned and Christ is being proclaimed. This type of ministry would not exist without the Janie Chapman Offering.