South Carolina Baptist churches are learning to make a huge impact in the communities around them, and they are doing it through strategic partnerships with public schools.
“A lot of Christians probably think you can’t teach the Bible to public school children during school time, but you certainly can, and we have ministries in place that can help make that happen,” said Tim Rice, Acts 1:8 strategist for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Participants from churches across the state learned about those ministries during the School Partnership Summit held recently at Southside Baptist Church in Spartanburg. The purpose of the summit was to inform churches of the role school partnerships can play in getting church members involved in their communities, Rice said. “There are just over 1,100 public schools in South Carolina, containing some 701,749 students and 59,077 principals, staff members, and teachers,” Rice said. “That is a significant part of our population, and school partnerships are a great way that we can show those people the love of Christ.
Andrew Brafford, student pastor from Eastview Baptist Church in Rock Hill, attended the summit. “It was very helpful, as we are in the beginning stages now of developing a partnership with York Comprehensive High School in York,” he said.
The school-church partnership emphasis serves as one of three priority areas in the South Carolina Baptist Convention missions partnership, along with multihousing ministries and reaching people groups, according to Rice. A partnership is defined as an ongoing relationship between a church and a school that benefits both entities and has goals or outcomes that are worked out together.
So far, about 150 SCBC churches are involved with schools in some kind of ministry, ranging from adopting a classroom, to helping with the school’s landscaping, to operating a Good News Club, or helping with established programs such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The missions mobilization group has set a goal of getting 100 new churches involved during 2010. “Our goal is for every church to adopt a school,” Rice said. “Believe me, it’s doable for any church, no matter the size,” he said.
One area of ministry that is causing particular excitement is the Bible education during school time program, which allows churches to transport students to a location near the school and teach them Bible-based curriculum during a regular 90-minute class period. The students receive credit for the class, and the churches get a chance to make a difference in their lives. “This year, we are hoping to have 10 new churches commit to doing four weeks of biblical education with school children during the month of October,” Rice said. An adopt-a-school kit will soon be available to help churches begin Bible education ministries.
Interested churches can contact Tim Rice at 800-723-7242 for more information or to register the school they have adopted. Video podcasts and other helpful tools can also be found by logging on to www.scbaptist.org/missions. – SCBC