Ken Petrus is the new missions strategist for Woodruff Baptist Association. A retired minister, he most recently served as administrative pastor at North Side Baptist Church in Greenwood for 17 years.

Burnsview sets new giving record
Burnsview Baptist Church, Greer, set a Lottie Moon mission offering goal of $20,000 for 2021. On Dec. 21, the church held a special service designed to focus specifically on its offering. Pastor Tim Huckaby said, “A short video was shown, a dramatization of Lottie Moon’s life was presented, and a speaker from the North American […]

Greer pastor Drew Hines retires from Washington Baptist
Drew Hines, pastor of Washington Baptist Church in Greer, retired Jan. 30. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Hines has been a pastor for 42 years, serving five churches. In addition to Washington, where he has served since June 2001, his South Carolina pastorates include Ebenezer Welcome in […]

Gaston First Baptist delivers ‘baskets of thanks and love’
Members of Gaston First Baptist Church delivered “baskets of thanks and love” and full fruit baskets to more than 20 homebound members in November, an outreach planned by Hannah McGill, fiancée of Pastor Brady Henderson. Pictured are Hannah and Pastor Brady as they visit Lucy Mae Sturkie Gantt, the church’s oldest member at 98. Also […]

‘Caring Well’ leads to changes in procedures, protects lives
There had been existing policies at Megan Nauman’s church to prevent sexual abuse, but the Caring Well Challenge helped identify a predator in their midst, she said. For a long time, the standards at Hunter First Baptist Church in Elizabethton, Tenn., reflected those of the vast majority of churches. Volunteers were mandated to be reporters […]
J.D. Shiflet retires after more than 48 years in ministry
J.D. Shiflet retired in December 2020 after more than 48 years in the ministry. He served as pastor of New Salem Baptist Church in Pittsboro, N.C.; Pleasant Plain Baptist Church in Kershaw; Davidson Street Baptist Church in Clinton; First Baptist Church, Hemingway; and for the last 20 years at Second Baptist Church, Laurens. He and […]
Cowpens First breaks ground for new sanctuary following Dec. 2020 fire
First Baptist Church, Cowpens, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new sanctuary Nov. 14. “After the loss of its previous building, we are excited for the opportunity to begin in this new facility serving God’s people,” said Interim Pastor Kermit Morris. On Dec. 26, around 2 p.m., the Cowpens First building caught fire. Damages were […]

Apalache Church calls Brian Childers as senior pastor
Brian Childers was called as senior pastor of Apalache Baptist Church, Greer, on Oct. 31. Childers previously was associate pastor/youth minister at Apalache.

Buckley Transitions to New Ministry
Seth Buckley, minister of students at Spartanburg’s First Baptist Church for most of the past 25 years, has resigned his position at the church to pursue a new ministry with an emphasis on helping fatherless boys and young men. Fire Pit Ranch, located in Moore near Spartanburg, is a ministry founded by his son, Jacob, […]

SCBC commemorates bicentennial year, creates sexual abuse task force
Messengers to the 201st annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention celebrated the convention’s bicentennial year, approved the creation of a task force to review sexual abuse policies and procedures, and elected a Newberry pastor as president-elect. International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood was keynote speaker for a missionary commissioning service that kicked off […]