The adult Vacation Bible School class at Centenary Baptist Church, Marion Baptist Association, traveled to “Outrigger Island” with the children. In addition to the Bible studies, they enjoyed crafts, singing and performing on handmade kazoos.
Twelve members of Bethel Baptist Church, Monetta, and Samaria Baptist Church, Batesburg, spent the week of July 6 conducting Vacation Bible School at the Beaufort Boys and Girls Club on Lady’s Island. This is the fifth year Bethel has ministered to the children’s summer program. The group conducted VBS for children of two military facilities in the Beaufort area. Activities included Bible instruction, music with sign language, skits, crafts and recreation. The theme of the Vacation Bible School was “Outrigger Island: Living God’s Unshakeable Truth.” Students received biblically related gifts and a copy of the New Testament. Participants included (front row, l to r) Jim and Jane Thrailkill, John Collins, Jason McKay, Kay Yonce and Judy Dancy Duncan; (back row) Cindy Hartley, Samaria pastor Dennis Metts, Allie McCarty, Anna Rose, Amanda Collins, and Bethel pastor Mark Collins.
Fifteen people from Calvary Baptist Church, Barnwell – ranging in age from 8 to 80 – recently participated in a mission trip to Nettie, W.Va. Below, deacons Allen Champy and Paul Bowers, left, and George Johnson, pastor to young families, prepare to load 75 backpacks loaded with school supplies, including New Testaments, to be distributed to the children there. Joe Blalock is senior pastor of Calvary.
Virginia Stanfield and Elsie Wilson were recently honored on their birthdays in July by Maple Cane Baptist Church, Cottageville. Stanfield and Wilson participate in the church’s Meals on Wheels program, which was organized in 1998. Stanfield, director of the Meals on Wheels program and assistant WMU director, and Wilson, Sunday school teacher and choir member, work with 11 other women in preparing and delivering 46 meals each week.
An 18-member team from Woodhaven Baptist Church, York Baptist Association, went on a mission trip to Chaguanas, Trinidad, July 19-26. The team – which was hosted by Chaguanas Evangelical Bible Church – held Vacation Bible School/youth discipleship, evangelism training and youth leadership training, prayerwalked, and conducted a soccer and balloon outreach ministry at a nearby soccer field. The team also led evening worship services at two churches in San Fernando. The trip was coordinated by Andrea Patterson of Woodhaven.
Gillisonville Baptist Church, Ridgeland, held Vacation Bible School July 27-31. Twenty salvations and five rededications were reported.
A 62-member team of volunteers from Tucapau Baptist Church, Startex, and Green Pond Baptist Church, Woodruff, spent July 12-18 in Dunbar, W.Va., conducting Fun Clubs and working on several construction-related projects for Fairlawn Baptist Church. Eight children were led to Christ as a result. In photo at top, members of the youth, above, direct Fun Club participants in some outdoor recreation; in second photo, Tucapau pastor Bill Pate Jr. is applying tile squares to the kitchen floor of Fairlawn’s fellowship building.
First Baptist Church, Honea Path, held Vacation Bible School June 16-20. The children had a great adventure on Outrigger Island. The average attendance was 317. Offerings totaled $1,250.36, 580 cans of food were collected for the community food pantry, and there was one profession of faith. Rita Green was VBS director.
A recent series of revival services at Beulah Baptist Church, Hopkins, saw more than 120 professions of faith. The revival preacher, Rick Amato, also spoke before nearly 1,000 middle and high school students in the area. Pastor Brad Bessent said, “While we have not broken out in a full-fledged revival, we have had an incredible evangelistic harvest. We had folks saved and baptized in every service. It was amazing!” Amato held four “Power of a Choice” assemblies at Lower Richland High School and Southeast Middle School in Hopkins, a suburb of Columbia. Amato told the nearly 1,000 students that they have the power to choose, but they do not have the power to choose the consequences of their choices. The students who attended the assemblies were invited to come to the church and hear Amato give his life story. Hundreds of students came to the service.