Three Baptist congregations in southern Greenville County – one of them African-American and all of them within a five-mile radius of each other – have forged a partnership for ministry which they believe expands the concept of what community is and enhances the image of how the church should look.
From left: Bob Whaley, T.E. Simmons and Dan Green.Two congregations with the name of Reedy Fork – one in Greenville where Bob Whaley is pastor, the other in Simpsonville led by T.E. Simmons – have linked with Sandy Springs, whose mailing address is Pelzer and whose pastor is Dan Green, to pool their resources for ministry to their shared community.
The “three amigos,” as the pastors like to call themselves, first brought their congregations together in 2009 for a Thanksgiving celebration. The first steps toward the partnership, however, were taken earlier.
Whaley initiated the effort to unite the churches in ministry. He is a veteran of 50 years in the pastorate, 32 of them at Northgate Baptist in Greenville. He first served as interim pastor for Reedy Fork and became its pastor in September. “I had wondered earlier,” he said, “if the interest in such a ministry was there and if we could put things together.”
When Whaley came to Reedy Fork, Green already was at his home church, Sandy Springs, where he has now been pastor for six years. He had expressed interest in a similar partnership with the former pastor at Reedy Fork who had retired before any of his hopes could be realized.
“I wanted Sandy Springs to be involved in a collaborative effort with other churches,” he said, “but the timing was not right when I first began to think about this. Bob brought his expertise to this ministry.”
Whaley had experience with church partnerships. During his pastorate there, Northgate established a ministry relationship with Enoree Baptist, an African-American congregation located on Augusta Street in Greenville.
His praise, though, went to Green. “The embers of what Dan had begun just needed to be fanned into a flame,” he said.
Simmons is the senior member of the three in terms of length of service; he is in his 28th year at the Simpsonville church. “The awesome thing,” he said, “is that three brothers in Christ are coming together across racial lines to do ministry together. This gives us a broader perspective, brings honor to God and shows what the real church should exhibit.”
The partnership flies under the banner of “Intentional Community,” which grew from a sermon that Green preached at Sandy Springs. “What we’re doing to meet the needs of the community,” he emphasized, “is absolutely intentional. We believe it goes beyond the preconceived notion of what our community is.”
Fellowship has been “sweet” from the beginning. “After the joint Thanksgiving service in 2009,” Whaley said, “there was such elation. Everyone felt good about it and said we should do it again. Now we meet each quarter in one of the three churches.”
Many members of these churches know each other due to daily contact in the community. They had known each other for years, but had never worshiped or ministered together.
“The partnership is a mission within itself,” noted Simmons, recalling the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who once cited 11 o’clock on Sunday as the most segregated hour in America. “Through this partnership, we work, grow and learn together.”
But the partnership’s purpose goes well beyond providing opportunities to “meet and eat,” according to Whaley.
The three churches began what they call their “Flames of Salvation” ministry, borrowed from I Kings 19:12: “After the flame came a gentle whisper.” The ministry provides Bibles and some money for the immediate needs of families in south Greenville who have suffered loss due to fires. So far, five families have been served.
Funded through a Tri-Church Religious Foundation whose goal is to “minister to the soul in time of loss or tragedy,” this ministry is the brainchild of Eric Davis, a deacon at Sandy Springs.
The partners are looking into the creation of a prison ministry and at opportunities for a variety of inner-city projects, to “get people beyond the walls of the church,” they agreed.
The next joint activity is a revival built on the theme “United in Christ, Serving Our Community” to be held April 10 at Reedy Fork, Greenville; April 11 at Sandy Springs, Pelzer; and April 12 at Reedy Fork, Simpsonville.
Whaley expressed his delight in the growing love that each church and its staff has for the others and of their desire to “seek more involvement with each other.” As for the respect each pastor has for the other, Whaley said, “Either of these men could be my pastor.”
The pastoral trio offered a joint prayer for the future of the partnership of their congregations: “Our prayer is that what we’ve initiated under the leadership of the Holy Spirit will continue long after we’re gone.”