A celebration event was held Nov. 14 at Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Columbia to remember the national and international missions partnerships South Carolina Baptists have had over the last 26 years.
Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board; Debbie McDowell, director, SCBC missions mobilization group; and Jim Austin, SCBC executive director-treasurer, were on hand for a celebration of missions partnerships by South Carolina Baptists.A worship time included reminiscences and testimonies from the mission field, and partnership location rooms offered opportunities for fellowship and networking for future trips.
South Carolina Baptists first partnered with Puerto Rico in 1983 to help build Baptist churches for the new believers there. Other partnerships followed, including those with Brazil, Kenya, Romania, Taiwan, South Asia, and closer to home in New England, West Virginia and the Appalachian region.
Jerry Rankin, president of the International Mission Board, spoke during the worship celebration and praised South Carolina Baptists for having a “kingdom focus which tells us to go anywhere to share the gospel. You have caught a vision of God’s people seeing the Great Commission going to the ends of the earth.”
SCBC executive director-treasurer Jim Austin celebrated the strong heritage of missions involvement in South Carolina as the convention looks ahead to more partnerships in new locations. “The world is rapidly changing, and we are forced to be creative in sharing the gospel and reaching people. We must have a heart for the nations,” Austin said.
Former convention leader Carlisle Driggers also spoke, along with Walter Mickels from the North American Mission Board, missionaries serving in the New England and South Asia partnership locations. Former “missionary kid” Beth Greer led in worship.
Kay Broughman, member of First Baptist Church, Sandy Run, attended the celebration and said that volunteer missions changed her life after her first trip about 10 years ago. “I had never seen the world through God’s eyes and witnessed real lostness before going to Romania,” she said. “Now I see my life in terms of what happened before and then after that trip.” Broughman, who also served in Kenya and the Czech Republic, plans to go on more volunteer mission trips.
A volunteer missionary studies a world map.“Even though partnerships have officially ended over the years, the impact continues for eternity in the lives of volunteers and in the places where they have served,” said Debbie McDowell, director of the SCBC missions mobilization group. She is quick to add that anyone who has supported volunteer missionaries – those who pray, give financially, help coordinate travel, even administer immunizations – have also been involved in these partnership efforts.
Next year, the SCBC will begin “South Carolina Baptists: A Witness to the World,” an emphasis highlighting 10 “kingdom connections,” or missions focal areas.
South Carolina connections will be in multi-housing ministry, internationals and faith/school partnerships.
North America connections will be in Atlanta, Nova Scotia and Ohio.
International connections are planned in India, London, Peru and with Northern African and Middle Eastern people groups. McDowell said these connections will offer more variety and more in-depth missions options for individuals and churches.