Todd Montgomery, second from left, was licensed to the ministry Oct. 8. Terry Corder, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, Kershaw Baptist Association, presented the certificate. With Montgomery are his wife Sharon and daughter Kristin.
Old Fort Baptist Church, Summerville, held a dedication service Nov. 12 for the 389 shoeboxes collected for the Operation Christmas Child program this year. Standing in front of the boxes she delivered to the pickup center is Old Fort OCC coordinator Michelle Monahan.
First Baptist Church, Columbia, presented its 19th annual Christmas pageant, Season of Love, Dec. 7-10. The production was the church’s gift to the community and consisted of a cast of more than 400 children and adults, a full orchestra and special effects and lighting. More than 15,000 tickets were distributed before the event.
Calvary Baptist Church, Moncks Corner, celebrated its 60th anniversary Oct. 29. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new church sanctuary followed. Pictured from left are Elizabeth Bailey, wife of former pastor Ernest Bailey; Ted Fiddie, chairman of deacons; Gary Dupree, chairman of the steering committee; Mary Antley, daughter of Rufus Antley, one of the first founders; Bobby Bailey, director of missions for Screven Baptist Association; and John Jenkins Jr., pastor.
The missions leadership department of Buffalo Baptist Church, Kershaw, recently sponsored several ministry projects: The Mission Friends collected teddy bears for Kershaw County EMS to give to children being transported by ambulance; the RAs and GAs visited shut-ins carrying gifts of Kleenex and candy canes; the youth group held a “giveaway” of clothing and household goods; and the men’s ministry checked and replaced smoke alarms and furnace filters for the shut-ins.
Smyrna Baptist Church, Pageland, has been assisting with a church plant in the west valley of Phoenix, Ariz. The church sent a team to assist with family ministry activities that took place the first weekend of November. Activities included Family Game Day in the Park, where families in the target community were introduced to the ministry of the new church. The Smyrna team included Billy Belk, Cathy Casper, Lynda Terry and Myra Faulkenbury.
Good Hope Baptist Church, Conway, broke ground Nov. 5 for a Christian life center. The facility will include four Sunday school classrooms, an office complex, and a multi-purpose area for banquets and recreation. James Hardwick of Homewood Metalworks Inc. is the contractor. Pictured is the steering committee: Pastor John Sullivan, Dana Groome, Wallace Booth, Charles Hucks, Ann Prosser, Robert Ford, Melton Dotson, and Belinda Todd. Odell Dorman, not pictured, is chairman of the committee.
The children of Whitefield Baptist Church, Belton, participated in Operation Christmas Child as their Christmas missions project. Each child was asked to fill a shoebox with small gifts. “All About Me” sheets were also given out in Sunday school so that the recipients of the shoebox could learn more about the children at Whitefield. On Nov. 19, the children placed their shoeboxes on the altar, and everyone participated in a prayer of dedication. Pam Jordan, Whitefield’s director of children’s ministries, said, “There has been a great response to this missions effort.?Many adults and youth also participated in this project.?More than 300 shoeboxes have been filled by children and adults.”