The 2007 edition of the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s missions partnership with South Asia opened Jan. 8.
An eight-member team led by Rob White, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce, left for India and is scheduled to return on Jan. 19. The missions mobilization group of the state Baptist convention anticipates 25 volunteer projects in South Asia during 2007.
The partnership, the first ever by the South Carolina Baptist Convention to include an entire region of the world, kicked off in 2005 with plans to continue through 2007. At the state convention’s annual meeting last November, however, messengers voted to extend the partnership through 2009.
After 2 years, a total of 375 volunteers have participated in the partnership, which includes the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. There were 277 volunteers in 2005 and 98 in 2006.
The South Asia region is approximately half the size of the United States, but with 5 times as many people. South Asia is home to nearly 1.4 billion people, representing almost 23 percent of the world’s population.
South Asia contains the world’s largest populations of Hindus and Muslims, in addition to a significant number of Buddhists, Animists and other religious followers.