Every annual Bible Study and Preaching Retreat is designed with the hope that it will be a “mountaintop experience” for the pastors, evangelists and lay people in attendance, but this year’s edition more than met that lofty goal by all accounts.
Don WiltonThe Anderson University campus was abuzz with renewal as more than 100 people were led through a study of the epistles of John. The event’s theme was “John’s Letters – How to Grow in Loving God.”
“This retreat was a mountaintop experience. The Spirit moved in an incredible way, preparing every heart to sow the seeds of the word in their churches and communities,” said Marshall Fagg, director of the state convention’s evangelism and missions team.
Sessions over the three-day event, July 17-19, were led by state convention president Don Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, and Stephen Rummage, preaching pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., which has more than 15,000 members and two campuses. Brandon Bailey, minister of music at Philippi Baptist Church, Union, led the praise and worship.
Wilton emphasized Christian love and a life characterized by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. “Our confidence in Christ results from a Spirit-filled life characterized in his love,” he said. “Being president of the SCBC is not nearly as important as loving the brethren – it is the evidence of my salvation.”
Rummage, who teaches preaching at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, emphasized the nature of the Christian walk and cautioned that believers should seek God’s wisdom consistently and never be surprised by opposition. “Our position as the children of God enables each believer to experience the guidance, the holiness, the love and the discernment of God,” he said. “We should never be afraid or surprised by our enemies.”
Among the more poignant moments were the praises of pastors, evangelists and laity that rang throughout the Daniel Recital Hall. “Worship begins with the passion of the worship leader and overflows into the congregation,” Bailey told participants. “It is far more important than the songs being sung or the instruments being played. Every church can experience what we experienced here, if there is a passion for worship.”