Zion Hill organist Jenita Coggins retires after 60 years of service

Jenita Coggins retired March 26 after 60 years as organist for Zion Hill Baptist Church, Spartanburg. She was 24 years old when she began as organist there, and has played for 20-25 music ministers since then. She first started playing organ at Zion Hill while her father, Jeda Baker, was pastor there. “Ms. Coggins has […]

Mon-Aetna Church, Union, calls Tom Tucker as senior pastor

Tom Tucker recently began duties as senior pastor of Mon-Aetna Baptist Church in Union. Tucker serves as president of Tom Tucker Ministries and formerly was director of missions for Chester Baptist Association. He is a past president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the state Pastors Conference and chairman of the SCBC Executive Board. He […]

Upstate pastor Carroll Caldwell receives Order of the Palmetto

Carroll Caldwell was recently honored by Padgett’s Creek Baptist Church in Union on his acceptance of the Order of the Palmetto award, the highest civilian recognition given in South Carolina. The award was presented by Shane Martin during the Sunday evening service on Feb. 26. Caldwell has served as pastor at Padgett’s Creek for 17 […]

Saddleback among six churches EC removes from cooperation

In its February meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee deemed six churches to be “not in friendly cooperation” — five for having a female functioning in the office of pastor — including one of the largest churches in the convention, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Saddleback hired Andy Wood and his wife, Stacie, […]

Google search leads N.Y. teen to Mullins First for baptism

How far would you go to be baptized? Down the street? Across town? To a neighboring county? To a local lake or river? A teenager from Orchard Park, N.Y., a few miles southeast of Buffalo, recently traveled with his father to Mullins, S.C. — a trip of more than 700 miles — to be baptized […]

Plan Now for Baptism Sunday April 16

“Buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in the newness of life.” These words, and others like them, have been declared by pastors thousands of times across North America in the last few years as people who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation have been baptized. This act of obedience and […]