Nov. 11–12, SCBaptists from across the state will gather at Columbia’s First Baptist Church for our 204th annual meeting. The room will be full of pastors, associate ministry staff, lay leaders, and church members who are invested in our shared mission and passionate about the opportunity before us to reach our state and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The annual meeting (“Convention”) is not only one of the most important gatherings of the year, but also, in my opinion, one of the most exciting.
I can hardly wait to see Baptist brothers and sisters from every corner of the Palmetto State to share the fellowship of the Spirit and rejoice in the work of God through our joyful, sacrificial partnership in the gospel. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity,” Israelites from 12 tribes sang enthusiastically as they ascended the hill toward Mt. Zion for their triennial gatherings (Psalm 133). The closer they came to one another along the journey, the more their song of joyful fellowship cut through the noise of the temporal moment and unified their hearts heavenward. Their melodies enlivened and their rhythms synched as they ascended. They were one people, on a shared mission (Gen. 12:1–3). Dispersed throughout the year geographically and organizationally, they came together at each appointed moment to remember their common identity and recommit themselves to their common purpose.
We are also one people, on a shared mission. Although dispersed geographically and organizationally throughout the year, we gather annually for shared celebration and renewed commitment to our shared mission. Messengers and guests from every association and every city, town, and map dot in South Carolina will converge upon Columbia Nov. 11–12, and our song of faith will grow louder and stronger along the journey. There, we will hear important reports, make big decisions, fellowship in worship and Word, and recommit ourselves to another year of joyful and sacrificial Great Commission cooperation.
In his 2001 book A Journey of Faith and Hope, SCBaptist ED-T Carlisle Driggers wrote, “Without question, what holds us together is a voluntary commitment to cooperate in doing and supporting mission work, and time has shown that God has chosen to bless our journey.” Doing and supporting. Sending and sharing. Giving and going. The rhythm of active evangelistic engagement and sacrificial missional investment runs deep in the SCBaptist blood. These are the diastole and systole of our cooperation: give sacrificially and go fearlessly. That cardiological rhythm is what pumps Great Commission blood through every organization of our cooperative effort. It is what has held South Carolina Baptists together for 203 years, and it is the pulse of our Great Commission heartbeat still today.
Sometimes, when Baptists are geographically or organizationally dispersed throughout the year, arrhythmia sets in. We are a hard-working missional people, and we tend to put our heads down and focus on the work immediately in front of us. Separated throughout the year, it’s sometimes easy to get out of sync. But when we come together annually, we are reminded of the greater work we are accomplishing together, and our hearts are unified once more. Maybe you have not attended an annual meeting (“Convention”) recently. Come, and get in sync again with the heartbeat of your SCBaptist family.
If no one else has yet invited you, consider this your personal invitation from me. Speak with your cooperating Baptist church about being sent as a voting messenger and help us make important decisions in this gathering. Or load your church van full of church people and come register as guests at the meeting to fellowship, celebrate, and better understand the depth and breadth of our cooperative efforts. Ours is a good work. It is an imperative work. It is joyful work. Come sing the song of unified Great Commission cooperation with us in Columbia this year to be reminded of — and to get in rhythm with — the heartbeat of SCBaptists again.