After lengthy and often passionate debate over the future of White Oak Conference Center near Winnsboro, the Executive Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly to “authorize the Properties Committee [of the board] to work with the executive director-treasurer to pursue finding buyers for White Oak Conference Center.”
The discussion and vote occurred during the April 26 meeting of the SCBC Executive Board at the Baptist building in Columbia. Board chairman Duane Greene, a member of Pickens First Baptist Church, used a PowerPoint presentation to outline the need to do something regarding the conference center.
Speaking on behalf of the Properties Committee and the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee, Greene offered four options to board members: 1) do nothing; 2) spin White Oak off as a separate, self-supporting entity; 3) spend the money necessary to complete the required maintenance; or 4) sell the facility.
Here are highlights of his report:
- 90 percent of SCBC churches do not use the facility.
- 73 percent of usage revenue comes from sources outside the state convention.
- SCBC ministries and affiliates use the facility 27 percent of the time it is occupied.
- There exists an estimated deferred-maintenance cost of $3-$4 million. (A new sewer/disposal plant would cost approximately $2.2 million.)
- Additional costs for improving the facility (including building a new hotel) total at least $2 million.
- An average of $614,000 is given each year to White Oak from the convention’s fund balance, beyond budgeted money.
If a buyer for the 841 acres of property and buildings is found, the Executive Board would meet again to approve the sale.
Thomas Truitt, director of camps and conference centers for the SCBC, spoke before the board. “I am passionate about camp ministry,” he said. “White Oak, like all the other ministry partners, was not designed to be a self-sustaining business, but a ministry.”
Truitt proposed allowing White Oak to become a more independent entity with a board of trustees composed of half South Carolina Baptists and half non-SCBC members, allowing the center to raise money from non-SCBC sources.
The SummerSalt ministry for students, which has been housed at White Oak, was cited as one of the positive ministries occurring at the facility. Greene stated that there were no plans to eliminate SummerSalt. If White Oak is sold, he said, the camp could be moved to another venue, possibly one of the three Baptist universities in the state.
Newly elected SCBC executive director-treasurer Gary Hollingsworth noted that while the discussion about White Oak did not start “on my watch, I accept the responsibility to lead during this time.”
“The most significant word of witness we can give a lost and dying world will be how we conduct our business and spend our money,” Hollingsworth said. “We must be missions-driven in all we do.”
White Oak Conference Center includes 140 motel-type rooms, a group house capable of accommodating 64, a 400-seat dining hall, 23 classrooms, an auditorium/gymnasium capable of seating 850, a 230-seat lecture hall, a 25-acre lake, a swimming pool and other facilities.
Is there an asking price?
Love to know that, too. I think we could save it, promote it, and have some awesome things happen!
Churches don’t use it because the SC Convention does a poor job of Promoting it, and utilizing it.
I have been going to White Oak for 36 years. It has been invaluable to the convention. What I see is the lack of concern over the years to take proper care of the facilities and now they are so run down it will take lots of money to repair the motels, etc. Had the money been put there over the years we wouldn’t be in this position but since we are let’s be wise in what we do. Does this need to be taken to the floor of the convention for all South Carolina Baptists to decide what to do? Sure the Executive Board is suppose to be the business arm of the convention but to be frank about it, they have failed us if the conference center is in such a bad shape. Where was the Executive Committee all those years when it was expanding but not keeping up with the repairs to the older part of the conference center as a good business plan would have provided? Now we are in trouble. May the wisdom of the Holy Spirit be sought and may we trust in the Lord to guide us since we did not do what was needed in the first place.
My heart is saddened by the whole situation because it seems that the convention leadership should have been on top of this for many years rather than letting it go. When have we heard of this need and deep trouble about White Oak from the podium of the convention where leadership should have addressed this issue? How many of us are just now hearing that there is a great need and we might loose the conference center? Who else feels the leadership should have taken care of this earlier if it was known about many years back?
My heart is broken over this issue.
Sincerely and praying God will guide.
Bill Rigsby, pastor North Anderson Baptist Church, Anderson, SC
White Oak Conference Center is a wonderful retreat center and place for “Mission” type work to be conducted. I first learned about it years ago as a single attending a singles retreat. Prior to that I never knew it existed. Have to agree with the comment someone made about it not being properly promoted.
I am sure there are plenty of worldly endeavors that would love to expand their mission of providing a place for non – Christ like missions to be conducted. Being mission minded costs money. The actions of the SCBC will indeed show the world what its mission is about. I pray that SCBC thinks outside of the box in regards to possible uses for this safe haven. Again, missions cost money.
I will be forever grateful for the memories I have of my times and my children’s times(Summersalt retreats for my children) enjoying White Oak. Thank you SCBC for having it available. I pray it will remain available, and it’s mission expanded.
I attended the Kid’s Mini Music Camp with my daughter last year, and we had one of the BEST weekends together (even with not being able to use the awesome pool because of a storm). At the time, she was eight, and she kept saying, “thank you for bringing me here!” Even before the weekend was over, she begged me to bring her again next year. Needless to say, I am really sad to stumble onto this news! If there is any way to save this facility for continued use for retreats, camps, productions, etc, I sure hope you will! I really believe the Baptist churches across the state would rally together for this cause, if a campaign were launched to Save White Oak! Please reconsider the decision to sell!
I believe the SBC is getting away from what it originally started, which is to win the lost to Christ. What better way than to promote this place for our young people to go and learn about Christ while having a great time at camp. It once was a thriving place; if you would get back to basics, it could be again. So disappointed in the Southern Baptist Convention. Get back on track for Christ and get the almighty dollar out and bring back Spiritual Training for the world’s Young People.
Since returning to South Carolina in January, I have already been to events at White Oak three times and another at Camp LaVida. We have also had to disappoint our children’s ministry because the one week of KidSalt was full almost as soon as registration opened. We need more ministry through White Oak, not less! White Oak is a valuable ministry to SC Baptists, and should be allowed to expand to its full potential. I believe SC Baptists understand this and will support the work if allowed to do so. But, if we dispose of this resource that we have worked so hard to provide, the response of our churches will be negative. Selling White Oak will not solve our problems, it will only multiply them. Let’s learn from our neighboring state conventions, where camp and conference centers have found a priority place of ministry support because of the great value they provide.
How can White Oak be put up for sale without the approval of the whole convention?