Elizabeth Ayers, a 15-year-old who was “deeply committed” to her church and its youth group at First Baptist Church, Pendleton, had a special interest in missions, said her pastor, Courtney Krueger.
Elizabeth Ayers, who died after being struck by a car on March 13, is shown painting a daycare facility during a mission trip to Puerto Rico last summer. A mission scholarship fund has been established at Pendleton First Baptist Church in her memory.Therefore, Krueger said, it is a “fitting tribute” to her life that Elizabeth’s family and friends have established a scholarship fund that will help other young people participate in missions activities even if they don’t have the financial resources.
Elizabeth was a lifelong member of Pendleton First Baptist. Her last activity with her church friends was a lock-in on March 12 that focused on the theme of “Engaging Reality.” Youth were encouraged to listen for God’s call for how they could respond to the realities of human trafficking, need for clean water, hunger, homelessness, violence and abuse. The next afternoon, Elizabeth was tragically struck by a car and killed while crossing a road.
Last summer, Elizabeth traveled to Puerto Rico with her church to do missions work at a daycare facility for children with disabilities. While they were there, vandals broke in during the night and wrecked the facility. In a testimony she shared after returning home, Elizabeth said, “I’m really glad we were there to give them some hope. I truly think God sent us here on this exact week to show them that even though something bad happened, God and First Baptist care and still love them.”
Krueger said Elizabeth’s family and friends recognized that offering scholarships to youth who want to participate in church-sponsored mission trips and activities was “one of the best ways they could remember and honor Elizabeth.”
Contributions may be made to: Elizabeth Ayers Fund, First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 187, Pendleton, S.C., 29670.