Campers converge for missions rally

Campers on Mission biannual state rally at Anderson University.

 

The athletic complex of Anderson University was transformed into a temporary campground April 11-14 when about 60 South Carolina Baptist Campers on Mission parked their trailers and motor homes at the AU campus for their biannual state rally.

Campers on Mission volunteers convene an impromptu staff meeting to address a power tool issue.

Twice each year, in the spring and fall, COM volunteers gather en masse to worship, plan work projects and enjoy the fellowship that comes from the shared experience of doing missions while also RV-ing.

About 30 volunteers arrived several days early in order to do construction and painting work at Labor of the Field Church in Anderson.

“We love to get out and do things for the Lord,” said COM volunteer John Smith, who taught heating and air conditioning at Darlington Technical College before he retired.

Smith’s wife, Eunice, said she and her husband joined Campers on Mission because they enjoy the camaraderie of the group and because “we wanted to make the best use of our time serving the Lord.”

“We wanted a good end to our lives,” she added.

Yvonne McGee and her husband, J.R., of Iva, have been involved with South Carolina Campers on Mission for several years and served as hosts for the Anderson rally. She said COM volunteers are thankful to have the opportunity to put their efforts to work for missions after they have retired.

“Life is never boring for any of these folks,” McGee said. “You never get too old to learn something new.”

South Carolina Campers on Mission have traveled all across the country on mission trips, often spending months at a time away from home.

At their spring rally in Anderson, COM volunteers heard from Jim Mullen of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association about Graham’s upcoming “My Hope America” crusade this fall. Campers also heard presentations from a cowboy church and from Anderson University students who traveled to New York to assist residents there in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

After their spring rally, the campers departed Anderson, several of them headed for missions projects at Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina and Pinehill Baptist Retreat in Bennettsville, S.C.

For more information about Campers on Mission, contact Tim Rice in the SCBC’s missions mobilization group by calling 803-765-0030 or 800-723-7242, ext. 3822 or emailing timrice@scbaptist.org.