Tigerville Church recognized Ruth Cooke for 39 years as church pianist on April 3. Cooke was raised in a musical family. Her older sister taught her piano lessons when she was a child. She continued with lessons in piano and violin in high school and studied piano during her freshman year at Wheaton College in Illinois. As an adult, she studied piano and organ and taught piano to children. At Tigerville, she has also taught children’s Sunday school classes, worked with children’s choirs and Christmas programs, worked in Vacation Bible School and participated in WMU activities. She is a retired elementary school teacher.
Trustees and staff members of South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging took time out from a recent board meeting at the Baptist Building in Columbia. Pictured from left are Dina Hair, administrator at Martha Franks; Jack Allison, retired judge and member of Cherokee Avenue Baptist Church, Gaffney; Ben Spurling, administrator at Bethea; and Tom Turner, president of SCBMA.
As part of its 200th anniversary celebration, Beaver Creek Church, Liberty Hill, welcomed national WMU president Debby Akerman (center) as guest speaker on Feb. 13. Her message focused on how to “Live Unhindered for Christ,” with scripture readings from Hebrews 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 9:8. Pictured with Akerman are Frances Williams (left), Beaver Creek WMU director, and pastor Paul Smith.
On Jan. 29, the WMU of Talatha Church, Aiken, held a breakfast to raise awareness for local community mission projects. Representatives from the Salvation Army shelter and soup kitchen were guest speakers, including Kay Miles, Rose Mary Mitchell and Angela Repass. The WMU group serves at the soup kitchen on Mondays and Fridays. Members regularly collect needed items for the kitchen and provide clothing and personal-hygiene items for the residents of the shelter. The breakfast was served on seven tables that were decorated with china settings provided by church members.
Mt. Bethel Church, Belton, dedicated a playground on March 20 in memory of Troy Mattison, who passed away due to a tragic accident on April 8, 2007. A playground fund was started by the children of Mt. Bethel, and with the help of many others the playground became a reality. Pictured at the dedication are members of the Mattison family: Bryan, Millie Kate, Sheila and Mattie Grace Goodwin; Leighann, Levi and Brian Mattison (uncles, aunts and cousins); Ronnie and Lucille Mattison (grandparents); Lisa and Scotty Mattison (parents); and Ryan and Clint Mattison (brothers).
The WMU of Barker’s Creek Church, Honea Path, recently collected toiletry items for the Honea Path Ministerial Association’s food pantry. On April 5, WMU members Sara Wilson and Faye Staton led the group in preparing a total of 111 “health kits,” which were then delivered by Barker’s Creek member Reg Graham to Trinity Methodist pastor Will Harper, director of the food pantry. Pictured are Wilson and Staton as they prepare to package the donated items.
The Palmetto Senior Group of Holly Ridge Church, Simpsonville, enjoyed a special reunion with Bryan Hester (formerly on staff at Holly Ridge) and his son Austin from First Church, Pickens. Accompanied by Ryland Brown, Hester entertained the group at their quarterly luncheon on April 5 with several songs and memories from his time at Holly Ridge.
Shady Grove Church, Belton, hosted the annual Saluda Association GA Day Camp on March 26. A total of 98 GAs and leaders from Anderson County churches attended the event, which included games, crafts, camps songs, and lunch. In addition, a total of 185 canned food items was donated by the girls for the Honea Path food pantry. Churches representing Saluda Association included Honea Path First, Rocky River, Starr, Barker’s Creek, Middleton Road, Austin Road, North Anderson, and Shady Grove. Hope Bannister, a student at North Greenville University, was the guest speaker.
Iglesia Bautista Alpha Y Omega, a South Carolina Baptist Hispanic church plant in Landrum, dedicated its new worship center March 6. Following a 4 p.m. dedication service at Landrum First Church (which was the primary sponsoring church), worshipers walked outside and down a hill to cut the ribbon on a building that formerly held the town’s health clinic. The building, which is across the street from the town’s largest employer of Hispanics, was purchased by Landrum First Church. Alpha Y Omega members had been meeting at Landrum First’s fellowship hall since Easter 2009, and will still have Sunday school in another house purchased by the sponsoring church. The new worship hall will seat 100; about 40 attend now.
Luke Luesing was recently licensed to ministry by Providence Church, Orangeburg. Pictured from left are pastor Kimmett Lott, Luesing, and his wife Georgia.
Ashley River Church held a “Kite Day” for the community March 19 at Riverfront Park in North Charleston. Larry Owens, an champion kite-flier, provided a demonstration and flew 20 kites at once. Church members used the opportunity to initiate relationships with people in the park and invite them to church.