South Carolina Global Connections is a missions emphasis designed to connect churches with South Carolina missionaries serving at home and abroad. There are currently about 140 families with South Carolina ties serving with the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board. The South Carolina Baptist Convention and the South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union are working together to make meaningful SCGC ministry connections through prayer, regular communication, meeting specific needs, and visits in the form of a church mission team or enabling the missionaries to visit the church.
The first SCGC vision trip took place in May, when SCBC missions mobilization director Tim Rice accompanied seven individuals from across the state on a 10-day trip to Southeast Asia. The group worked with six field personnel units with ties to South Carolina. The team traveled together, received additional training once they landed, and then dispersed in smaller teams to several targeted areas in two countries where the field personnel are serving. In addition to serving during the trip, participants experienced opportunities to form future partnerships through SCGC.
Rice went to a country in Southeast Asia to work alongside our personnel who are in the country on an agricultural platform, and helped distribute a specialized seeding device to farmers there. “We visited new believers and shared Christ with those we met. One lady prayed to receive Christ and was baptized the next day with another convert. It was exciting to have a baptism the first full day that we were there,” Rice said.
Jim Carey, minister of music and senior adults at First Baptist Church, Lyman, said he has known some South Carolina field personnel serving in another part of Southeast Asia for 20 years and was excited to participate in the vision trip. He described going on a special home visit with one of our personnel. “We went to visit a Muslim family, and used a salvation bracelet to share Christ with them. The husband had accepted Christ one month before, but his wife, son, and daughter had not. They all accepted Christ that night; it was really exciting,” he said.
Carey, who had previously volunteered in a Southeast Asian country where his team discipled native house church members, helped a local believer with his work in a vocational school and assisted a pastor who operates a Christian orphanage. The orphanage ministry is unique, in that it sees children first grade and older making regular professions of faith because of the education they receive there.
“The orphanage provides a place to stay, eat and work, and they have Bible study first thing in the morning and again at night. We went with the pastor to visit families of the children, and were able to share the gospel with a Hindu family whose child is in the orphanage,” Carey said.
Lebron Crisp is the senior pastor at Living Water Baptist Church in Longs. He served in a major Southeast Asian city while on the vision trip. He was impressed by the openness he encountered while sharing the gospel, including among Central Asian refugees who are living in the area.
“I was touched by how God is working through visions among the Central Asian refugees. One described dreaming and having a vision of Joseph, who told him that Jesus was the Messiah. Afterward, he was willing to hear the gospel and accepted Christ. Another refugee had a vision that he would meet a national and an American. The next day it happened, and he accepted Christ. God is working in ways we take for granted here,” he said.
Crisp described another experience in a crowded outdoor vending area in the city. Using a translator, Crisp began to share the gospel with someone he had just met and other people gathered around to listen. “No one accepted, but they got to hear the gospel. It reminded me that it’s not how you present or how well you present it, the power of the gospel saves people,” he said.
David Felty, a member of First Baptist, Lyman, traveled to three different places in Southeast Asia. While there, he worked with all aspects of native house churches, language ministry, the orphan ministry, and helped field workers continue to build relationships in the field.
“One evening a group of local believers met together with the purpose of visiting folks and sharing the gospel. I was teamed up with two young men, our contact for the prospects, and a translator. We were able to visit two families and share the gospel for the first time with several people that night. Other members of the team were blessed with the privilege of leading new believers to Christ,” Felty said.
According to Felty, forging partnerships like those through SCGC, helps field workers, churches and individuals. “Churches or individuals can adopt a region, country, island, people group, or city and become more connected with the people that they will be sharing with by praying for, learning about, and ministering to them. They can also adopt a field personnel family to pray for, learn about, minister to, and support with various resources,” he said.
“Some can go, some can give and go, but everyone can pray. We can support and encourage the men and women in the field that God has called. I encourage people to pray, to give through offerings and special offerings, and to physically go if they are able,” Carey said.
For his part, Crisp said the South Carolina Global Partnership is an “awesome” concept, and he believes South Carolina Baptists will be more effective if they participate in it. “It excites me that we’re connecting with people we know, and we get to know their heart, their background, and where they come from. And who wouldn’t want to support their home folks?” he said.
There are at least four SCGC trips planned for 2015 and others will take next year. For more online information about how churches can participate, visit www.sendSC.org. Contact Rice directly at (803) 227-6179 or by email at timrice@scbaptist.org.