While news outlets were focusing in January on a NeighborhoodScout.com report that Spartanburg was listed as the 12th-most dangerous city in the U.S., a coalition of nearly a dozen churches and ministries was telling a different story.
Local teenagers work with children at Cammie Clagett apartment complex in Spartanburg, one of four complexes where students ministered to inner-city children as part of a mission trip to their city last summer. Work with the children in the apartment complexes continues year round.Pastors and members of Spartanburg-area churches packed Oak Grove Baptist Church Jan. 13 to worship and celebrate almost two years of partnerships sharing the love of Jesus in their city.
Come Closer Spartanburg started as a partnership of two South Carolina Baptist churches – The Journey, and Hope Point Community Church – in 2011. Today, 10 churches across racial and denominational divides are committed to working together to reach Spartanburg for Christ, and more are coming on board.
“I don’t think there is anything better than the spirit of unity, crossing racial and cultural lines and mobilizing God’s people to live out the mission,” said Chris Pollard, pastor of The Journey. “God is doing some exciting things in the hearts of people.”
Come Closer began to take off in the summer of 2011 when students and parents were encouraged to take a mission trip to their own city. That mission trip started an outreach in several downtown apartment complexes that has continued with ministries to the children and outreaches to single moms.
Volunteers with “Come Closer Spartanburg” handed out 200 Thanksgiving meals in November at Norris Ridge Apartments in Spartanburg.Since 2011, churches have come together to do ongoing outreach efforts with children in four Spartanburg apartment complexes, two Upward basketball leagues, free car washes, and Bible studies for women. Last summer, as more churches and ministries joined, Come Closer organized an effort to buy laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and hygiene products for single moms. Bags of those items were delivered to about 800 households in the inner city. Pollard said that effort is continuing.
In addition to pastors working together, there has also been a movement in the business community where money was provided for the purchase of a van as well as other needs. There is also a partnership with a prayer network where people are praying around the clock.
“We had to get outside the box and – let God do what he wanted to do,” said Todd Nethery, administrative pastor at Hope Point. “Our youth led the way into the city of Spartanburg. As leadership, we try to keep a calendar that is not over-programmed, and we encouraged our people to go and be involved and embrace the city and the world.”
Hub Blankenship, pastor of Milestones Church, said God began preparing his heart to be a part of Come Closer through a conference he attended in April 2011.
“The Lord showed me the local church was not to be the center of my universe,” Blankenship said. “Chris [Pollard] invited me to lunch a week or so later. I was ready.”
Blankenship said Milestones has done 16 “Power of One” offerings, where they have asked each person in the congregation to give one dollar to help someone in need outside of their church. The 16 offerings have provided $11,703.
Local college students and church members associated with Come Closer Spartanburg hold a kid’s camp at Oakview Apartments in Spartanburg.Ron Henderson, pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, said he got involved in Come Closer because he “wanted to make a difference in the community.”
In addition to being a part of the outreach efforts, Henderson said Mt. Nebo has also been on the receiving end of Come Closer, with other churches coming to work on Mt. Nebo’s youth center.
Lee Clamp, director of evangelism for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, said Come Closer is one of several ministries where congregations are working together to reach people for Christ. Similar efforts are going on in Columbia, Charleston and Gaffney.
Clamp said efforts like Come Closer work across denominations without compromising Baptist doctrine.
“Southern Baptists have a heritage that we don’t want to bend or waiver on doctrine, but I think there is a trend to work with others where we can be a blessing to the city – getting to share the name of Jesus and engaging pockets of lostness.”
Pollard said the recent negative media reports about Spartanburg have not provided any extra motivation for Come Closer volunteers’ efforts to reach the city for Christ.
“I’m not sure we need a bigger motivator than the Spirit of God moving the people of God to carry out the mission of God,” Pollard said. “When there are no more people who are unreached, no more disciples to be made, and no one else needed to be taught how to obey Jesus, maybe then we will look for extra motivation.”