As The Courier looks forward to the coming year, there are some things we are working on that we hope will both interest and bless you. Courier Tours is planning on four tours this year, and possibly five. On April 27-29, we will travel to Asheville to visit the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, tour […]
Helping Children in Need
The late Fred Rogers of the “Mr. Rogers” television show for children once said, “Anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.” The 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, said, “Children are our most valuable resource.” When children are displaced or in danger, there is a problem. When […]
New SCBC president bringing focus back on missions & education
New South Carolina Baptist Convention president Josh Powell is a church historian, pastor, and overseas seminary president. He will preside over the 200th annual meeting of the SCBC in November 2020, although the 200th anniversary will be celebrated in 2021. Powell and his wife, Allison, are preacher’s kids and preacher’s grandkids. Both their dads are […]
Editor’s Word: ‘Tis the Season
The Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Season is beginning to descend on us. With it comes many activities coupled with gracious opportunities to share the gospel of Christ. The busiest travel days this year will be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday following Thanksgiving. More Americans travel to be with family on Thanksgiving than any other holiday, […]
White Oak Conference Center for sale again
White Oak Conference Center in Winnsboro was scheduled to be sold to Midlands Charter Institute last year for $5.4 million. However, the charter school failed to qualify for a loan and has moved off the campus. The property is on the market again. Scott Lee, chief administrative officer for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, stated […]
Editor’s Word: Is the CP Important?
Is the Cooperative Program important today? With Great Commission Giving and Cooperative Giving as alternatives to CP giving, the question begs some type of answer — and the answer can be convoluted and complicated. Before and during the initial years of the Conservative Resurgence, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting could not help […]
2019 SCBC meeting has unique features
The 199th annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention Nov. 11-12 at the Church at The Mill (formerly Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church) in Moore will feature some unique, and possibly historic, moments. Alex Sands, pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Simpsonville, will be nominated as president- elect. If elected, he will become the […]
Sands, Vassey to be nominees for SCBC offices
Alex Sands and Brad Vassey will be candidates for convention offices when South Carolina Baptists meet at Spartanburg’s Church at The Mill in November. Sands, pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Simpsonville, will be nominated as president-elect of the South Carolina Baptist Convention by Charleston First Baptist pastor Marshall Blalock at this year’s annual meeting. […]
Do Southern Baptists Really Tithe?
Do Southern Baptists tithe (give 10 percent of their income to the local church and other ministries)? The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 does not specifically refer to a tithe or 10 percent. It does say, “Christians should contribute by their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause […]
Editor’s Word: Don’t Overlook Pastor Appreciation
The pastorate can often be a rewarding experience, but it can also be a discouraging valley. Far too many pastors suffer from depression, and most of them go untreated. When I first came to The Courier, I wrote a three -part series on pastoral burnout, suicide, and forced termination. South Carolina was the leader in […]