During the 1800s, revival broke out in England. While the lower and middle classes were the first to succumb to the Holy Spirit’s movement, the movement soon began to change the upper and aristocratic classes as well. One member of the upper class was a young educated woman named A. Catherine Hankey. She was skilled in both music and literature. She used her talent to write two hymns describing God’s love. The second hymn was the beginnings of the old classic “I Love to Tell the Story.” Throughout the history of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the Gospel story has been told to all generations. Because the Gospel story was told to me at a young age, I answered God’s call for salvation, and, later, to the ministry.

It was in 1820 that the South Carolina Baptist Convention met for the first time. A group of people convened at the First Baptist Church of Charleston to organize the first state convention. From these Christian pilgrims, a tradition started that has lasted through the Civil War, Reconstruction, two world wars, the Great Depression and many other national events. Yet these crises did not hinder our ancestors in telling the story of Jesus Christ to our state, nation and world. This established a precedent that will celebrate its 195th anniversary on Nov. 10-11, 2015, at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg.

From Charleston First Baptist Church — the first Southern Baptist church — the establishment of congregations in towns and communities began to spread in pre-Civil War South Carolina. An agrarian culture was founded upon cotton, tobacco, corn and rice. Through revenue exchanged for these goods, families began to prayerfully give their tithes and offerings to their local congregations. This provided resources for the construction of churches throughout the state. Since most pastors were “circuit riders,” this left the daily duties of Christian living to the laity. Daily prayer and Bible reading were as commonplace as grits and cornbread. This resulted in many new converts who were participants in great baptismal services at nearby streams or ponds. These services usually were held during “lay-by time,” when crops were not mature enough to harvest. Local congregations felt this was a great time to have revival meetings, which lasted two weeks and rivaled the great social events of the era.

During and after the Civil War, South Carolina Baptists found themselves relying more upon their faith than ever before. Their lives would be drastically changed by the war and by Reconstruction. Yet this did not deter the Gospel story from spreading. Even during such a dark time in South Carolina, Baptist churches continued to sprout up across the landscape.

Several new movements began to infiltrate South Carolina. With more manufacturing jobs being established in small communities, the state’s mill villages were born. These communities provided steady jobs, better homes, schools and social opportunities for families struggling to make a living on the farm in the Reconstruction era of the South. From the southerly movement of textiles into the Upstate, Old English District and Upper Pee Dee regions came the textile managerial personnel and machinists from North Carolina.

These people were Southern Baptist, but they were reared out of the Sandy Creek Revival tradition, which is characterized by their dependence upon the Holy Spirit especially during worship. Those coming off the farms to the mill villages were reared in the Charleston tradition, which is characterized by order, order, and more order. It was into the combination of these traditions that most South Carolina Baptist churches were organized.

Every South Carolina Baptist church is as unique as an individual’s fingerprint. While these churches agree on several tenets — such as local church autonomy, biblical inerrancy, evangelism and global missions — they possess an individual uniqueness that is molded by the people and culture of each ministry setting. Congregational size, worship style, and church governance are factors that contribute to the differences of these churches. Yet it is the supreme belief in Jesus Christ as the only true Savior that unites South Carolina Baptist churches.

This past year has been challenging for South Carolina Baptists. The Charleston shooting, the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the controversy over the removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds, and the recent flooding throughout the state have created a number of challenges for our convention and state. Yet it has also been a year when our individual churches have pulled together to show the world that South Carolina Baptists are a united people in their love for Christ and service to the people He came to redeem. Hebrews 11:1 states: “Faith is the confident assurance of those things we hope for and those things we do not see.” It has been the faith of South Carolina Baptists in Jesus Christ during these challenges that the world viewed.

It has been a great pleasure to serve as your 2015 South Carolina Baptist Convention president. My prayer has always been that I have pleased God first, and then man. Thank you for your faith and trust in me. I believe our greatest and brightest days are ahead. My prayer is that we all tell the story of Jesus with greater boldness and clarity so that the whole world will hear of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

— Tommy Kelly is pastor of Varnville First Baptist Church and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.