Shannon Long, pastor of First Baptist Church, Whitmire, since 2006, will retire Dec. 31. Previously, Long served as associational missionary for Laurens Baptist Association. He and his wife, Loraine, formerly served as International Mission Board missionaries in Chile. After returning from Chile in 1989, he served as pastor of Park Baptist Church in Rock Hill and Isle of Palms Baptist Church. Loraine served as a board member of the South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union for nine years and was president of SCWMU from 1997-2001. A drop-in is planned for Long on Sunday, Dec. 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Whitmire Community Center.
