Writer: Julia Bell
People from all around the world now call South Carolina home. There are churches, Bible studies and other forms of outreach in place to touch many of them with the Gospel. However, there are more people groups living in South Carolina, many that have not yet been identified by nationality or language, who also need to hear the good news about Jesus.
The Missions Mobilization Group at the South Carolina Baptist Convention is partnering with Baptist Collegiate Ministries and the Columbia Metro Baptist Association on a summer project to dig deeper into the communities around the Midlands of South Carolina, with the goal of discovering and engaging more people groups. The team consists of Lander University senior Julio Delgado, a political science major, and Jody Ratcliffe, a student minister at First Baptist Church of West Columbia.
The men started the eight-week project on June 1. The team has studied International Mission Board videos and church-growth methods in preparation for their work. They have met with local pastors, prayer-walked neighborhoods, and are interacting with people they meet as they engage existing language churches and follow up on findings first discovered during a March people-group discovery event held through the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
“Eight weeks is a small window of time, and this process will take a lot longer than that. But I am excited to see what will come after this, both what we will discover and the new work that will result,” said Ratcliffe.
Columbia Metro Missions Ministries director Bill Wright says the project echoes his desire to see the people from the nations who live in the surrounding communities reached for Christ. “We are praying that we’ll dig deeper and be able to discover what types of ministry needs exist here and see where God is at work,” he said.
Ryan Dupree, international minister at First Baptist Church of Columbia, is helping the team connect with leaders from the international communities around the city. Dupree regularly works with international students, refugees, and two ethnic congregations through his church’s ministries.
“Columbia is an international city and continues to become more international,” Dupree said. “There has been an increase in refugees settling in South Carolina, and there is a growing international business presence here. A lot of the ethnic communities are hidden, so I build relationships through international associations with the hope of finding future inroads to the unreached areas.”
The discovery team’s activities are different each day. They are keeping a log of the places they visit, people they meet, and activities they engage in. They have met with local language pastors to ask how they can assist them in their work. As the team engages individuals in ethnic shops or restaurants, they inquire about native languages spoken and how many people from their country live in the area. All of this information is documented and will be used to plan the next steps in evangelism to that people group.
“I have been surprised to learn that a lot of business owners don’t live where they work,” said Ratcliffe. “Some live 10 or more miles away and drive to work. This changes our understanding of ministry, in that we may want to meet needs while they are in town and at work versus offering things after work. For example, English-as-a-second-language classes might be best offered to those people on lunch breaks instead of in the evening.”
Also, the team is working separately. In addition to intensive time spent with a Burmese church and its outreach, Delgado has helped with a local vacation Bible school and a free medical clinic. Local pastors have helped Delgado with language barriers, and he reports that he is surprised at the number of different people groups living in the area.
“I have discovered that there are more ethnicities living in the Columbia area than I first thought. In eight apartment complexes in one neighborhood, I found Nepali, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Korean individuals,” said Delgado, a member of Northside Baptist Church in Greenwood.
In addition to those people groups, Ratcliffe reports the team has engaged Indian, Pakistani and African individuals. “There are opportunities to establish churches in Columbia where there are none,” Ratcliffe said. “I have a personal goal to work toward establishing a new church for African people, which is one group that does not already have a congregation. I am enjoying the chance to be with people and show them Christ through our care and concern to meet their real needs.”
Wright said he believes God has brought the nations to the Midlands. “We have been given the privilege and responsibility to be obedient to the Great Commission, to make disciples starting at the doorstep of our own neighborhoods and out to the ends of the earth,” Wright said.