Fred Astin, director of missions for Beaverdam Baptist Association since Aug. 6, 1994, has retired.
He was the longest-serving full-time director in the association’s history. A recognition service was held at Bounty Land Baptist Church in Seneca on May 31.
Under Astin’s influence and leadership at Beaverdam, two Hispanic churches were constituted, and a variety of ministries were done, including outreach to truck drivers, teaching English as a second language, associational camps, home repair ministry to shut-ins and the elderly, and reconstruction of burned churches.
Astin led efforts to promote Christian films like “Left Behind,” “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fireproof.” Also, in 2003 he was instrumental in the establishment of the Leonard Irwin Offering for Associational Missions, in memory of the former vice president of the former Home Mission Board. Irwin was a member of Westminster Baptist Church and served as interim director of missions for Beaverdam in 1992.
Astin’s two lasting achievements are in the area of disaster relief and the creation of a block party trailer. More than 125 members of Beaverdam churches are trained and qualified to serve through the South Carolina Baptist Convention disaster relief program and have been used in mud-out efforts and chain-saw relief over the past number of years. The block party trailer, a dream of Astin’s, is now being used by churches in many outreach efforts.
Astin was raised in Rome, Ga., graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1964, and was commissioned into the Air Force soon afterward. In 1971, he felt God’s call to ministry and moved to Fort Worth, Tex., where he graduated from Southwestern Baptist Seminary in 1975.
His first pastorate was at Griffin Baptist Church in Pickens-Twelve Mile Baptist Association, where he served four years. He then served at Old Fort Baptist Church, Summerville, for 15 years during a time of growth and expansion. Sunday school enrollment tripled during that time, and he led the church in completing two additional buildings to the church campus. In 1994, he felt God calling him to a greater ministry to churches, which eventually led him to Beaverdam Association.
Participants in the recognition service included area pastors, state convention representatives, friends from former churches, a staff member from U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett’s office, and family members.
Reid is moderator of Beaverdam Baptist Association and pastor of College Street Baptist Church, Walhalla.