Butch Blume

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SCBC messengers to worship at historic African-American church

The 198th annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention will be held Nov. 13-14 in Charleston. Marshall Blalock, pastor of Charleston First Baptist Church and current SCBC president, will preside. The theme is “Building Bridges.” Business sessions will... Continue Reading »

‘Gospel of hope’ marks life of late pastor, deputy Daniel Inabinet

From the editor: As we were preparing to go to press with the November issue of The Courier, we were shocked to hear of the sudden death of Daniel Inabinet on Oct. 11, just one week after we interviewed... Continue Reading »

S.C. disaster relief volunteers launch ‘labor-intensive’ Florence response; mud-out teams needed

Nearly a month after Hurricane Florence came ashore in North Carolina and stalled over South Carolina, flooding thousands of homes and businesses in the Pee Dee region, South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief officials are calling on trained “mud-out” teams... Continue Reading »

Courier Survey: Half of churches observe Pastor Appreciation Day

About half of churches represented in a recent informal BaptistCourier.com survey regularly set aside a day each year to honor their pastor or ministerial staff. A significant share of the 68 readers who took the online survey, 42.65 percent,... Continue Reading »

Dressmaker: ‘I can’t go, but I can send’

Clara Able is on oxygen 24 hours a day, but that doesn’t stop her from fulfilling what she calls “my mission.” The 78-year-old widow from the town of Ninety Six, in Greenwood County, has always enjoyed sewing, and now... Continue Reading »

Baptist summer camps share reports of gospel-changed lives

Summer is traditionally a time when families and schools take a break, but it is a busy and spiritually productive season for those who lead Christian youth camps. Over the last three months, Baptist-related summer camps in South Carolina... Continue Reading »

Small groups, accountability key to effective disciple-making

Angie Keene, who volunteers as a small-group leader in her church, remembers how uncomfortable the teenage girls in her discipling group seemed to be when she asked them to share their testimonies. “All of their stories sounded the same,”... Continue Reading »

On campus or in a storm-ravaged subdivision, the gospel changes lives

Although a variety of ministry activities spring to mind upon hearing the words “disaster relief” or “collegiate ministries,” a singular fidelity to sharing the gospel emanates from the core of two Baptist entities responsible for those particular mission fields... Continue Reading »

death and dying

Death and Dying: Bearing One Another’s Burdens in the Valley

When it comes to the decisions to be made when someone dies — burial or cremation … whether the receiving of friends will be held the day before or the same day as the funeral … if there will... Continue Reading »

Pastor: Presence of safety team brings comfort to members

Last fall, Keith Davis and a few other Spartanburg pastors planned a free seminar for churches in the area interested in a presentation on how best to prepare for an active shooter. Then, on Nov. 5, a mass shooting... Continue Reading »

Courier Survey: Churches take measures to protect members

Nearly eight in 10 Baptist Courier readers responding to an online survey said that church members who are not law enforcement professionals provide security for their congregations and that many of them carry concealed weapons. The survey, which ran... Continue Reading »

Billy Graham, ‘America’s pastor,’ laid to rest

William Franklin “Billy” Graham, 99, a dairy farmer’s son and a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, died Feb. 21 at his home in Montreat, N.C. He was laid to rest March 2 in Charlotte. Saved as a... Continue Reading »