The South Carolina House passed H4624 by a strong 82 to 23 vote, sending this important piece of legislation to the Senate. H4624, also known as “Help, Not Harm,” would prevent minors from receiving puberty blockers, cross hormone treatments, and gender reassignment surgery. The bill was assigned to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee and set […]
Striking the Waters: The Priority of Personal Evangelism
Many years ago, I pastored a normative size church in a rural town. Once a month I shared a meal with a pastor friend from a neighboring city whom I had met at an associational meeting. I needed that friendship more than I knew at the time. We encouraged, sharpened, and challenged one another. Pastors […]
President’s Perspective: We Must Strengthen Cooperation
In 1812, South Carolina’s own Sen. John C. Calhoun led a war hawk movement in Congress to deliver a declaration of war against the British to President Madison, officially beginning the War of 1812. Words cannot describe the despair that enveloped the nation as the United States slipped into another war with Great Britain just […]
‘Nones’ Cite Dislike of Organized Religion, Maltreatment, but Remedy Still Possible
A recent study by Pew Research found that more than half of religiously unaffiliated Americans, which it identifies as “Nones,” said they didn’t like organized religion or had been mistreated by religious people, but SCBaptists can help remedy their misgivings, two state evangelism leaders urge. “Specifically, 55 percent of Nones cited one of the two […]
S.C. pastor D.J. Horton to be nominated for SBC Pastors Conference president
A Spartanburg-area pastor will be nominated to serve as president of the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors Conference. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, told The Courier Feb. 29 that he intends to nominate D.J. Horton, senior pastor of Church at The Mill in Moore, during this year’s conference in […]
Impact 2024: ‘One Savior, One Gospel, One Church, One Mission’
On Feb. 22, more than 1,100 attendees representing 250 churches gathered at Impact, an annual South Carolina Baptist Convention conference that connects leaders and encourages obedience to Jesus’ mission, the Great Commission. The conference was held at Church at the Mill in Moore. “Leave your ego at the door” was written on the screen when […]
Legislative Update: S.C. Legislative Session Off to Fast Start
The 2024 South Carolina legislative session opened on Tuesday, Jan. 9, with House Republicans presenting three bills for sub-committee hearings. Usually, you can depend on the South Carolina Legislature to move slowly and deliberately, especially on the first day of the session. So, when the opening day schedule included a 3M Medical Affairs Sub-Committee hearing […]
Striking the Waters: Racism, Independence, and Cruciformity — Where the Two Groups Become One
On July 4, 1776, South Carolina Gov. Charles Pinckney and future Gov. Edward Rutledge were among the 56 delegates to the Constitutional Congress who became signatories on the Declaration of Independence. Their bodies still rest in the St. Philips churchyard in Charleston, S.C., today. It is no secret that Pinckney and Rutledge were slave owners, […]
Stories of faithfulness highlight WMU board meeting
From Alaska to Maine, nearly 200 missions leaders from across the country gathered on Missionary Ridge in Birmingham for WMU’s January board meeting, Jan. 6-8. Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director of national WMU, said often when you hear mission speakers, they tell you inspirational story after story of amazing ways they’ve seen God at work in […]
SCBaptist Unveils Historic 10×10 Plan
On Dec. 7, 2023, the Executive Board of the South Carolina Baptist Convention voted unanimously and enthusiastically to release $10 million in unrestricted cash assets into the mission and ministry model of the convention over a 10-year period. The plan includes a detailed quarterly report to the board’s Executive Advisory Team, an annual detailed report […]