South Carolina Baptist Convention 199th annual meeting preview
Hannah Roberts, Staff Writer
Logo from https://www.scbaptist.org/
Monday, Nov. 11 through Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC) will hold its 199th annual meeting.
With over 2,000 churches in the state of South Carolina, the SCBC’s purpose is to help churches fulfill the Great Commission.
The Great Commission can be found in Matthew 29:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The SCBC strives to see a day when “Every life is saturated and transformed by the hope of the Gospel, beginning in South Carolina.”
The SCBC website states, “Utilizing the essential catalysts of prayer and leadership, our strategy is to create environments and resources that encourage and equip strong churches to multiply disciples who serve communities, share hope, send workers, and start new work.”
This year, the theme for the annual meeting is “ENGAGE.” The motto claims, “Strong churches engage the culture, the lost, the nations & the future.”
Throughout the meeting, speakers will address each category from the motto.
Micah Fries, Pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church, from Chattanooga, Tennessee will cover engaging the culture. Mike Glenn, Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, from Brentwood, Tenneess will discuss engaging the lost. Edgard Aponte, Global Missions Pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church, from Lutz, Florida will review engaging the nations. And H.B. Charles, Pastor from Shilow Metropolitan Baptist Church, from Jacksonville, Florida will speak on engaging the future.
The meeting will take place at Church at The Mill, in Moore, South Carolina.
Monday night the meeting will begin at 5:45 p.m. and dismiss at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday morning the meeting will begin at 8:55 a.m. and dismiss at noon. During the meetings on Tuesday, representatives from North Greenville University will lead the worship sessions.
Jody Jennings, associate vice president for campus ministries and associate campus pastor, announced during a chapel service NGU students will have the opportunity to receive chapel credit for attending the meeting on Tuesday night. Students will begin the event with an ice cream/cookie social at 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Free transportation will be provided for students, the first bus will leave at 3 p.m. and the second bus will leave at 4 p.m. All buses plan to arrive back on campus around 10 p.m. Students interested in riding the bus should plan to meet outside of Chick-fil-a. Dinner will be provided for students who take the early bus.
Frankie Melton, assistant professor of Christian Studies at NGU and Pastor of Heath Springs Baptist Church has been attending SCBC’s annual meetings since 1996, around the same time he became a full-time pastor.
“The meeting is very important for the work of SC Baptist churches,” said Melton. For almost 200 years Baptist men and women have been gathering to engage in the work of the Lord.
Melton encourages students to attend the event. “The business session may seem mundane, but they are concerning important issues like funding for NGU, sending of missionaries, trustee appointments and church planting,” said Melton.
This year, Melton shared he is especially looking forward to listening to H.B. Charles’ presentation on Tuesday night. “I look forward to seeing many pastor friends every year. The convention is the one time many pastors get to be together and it is a nice reunion,” added Melton.
