THE DIGEST Volume LIIl Issue 6 August 2015

SPORTS CAMPS

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From the Director of Church and Community Ministries Susan Harris sharris@screvenbaptist.org

The second quarter of this year has certainly been filled with many ministry and mission

opportunities. On April 11, the Associational WMU held a Ministry Fair at Harleyville First

Baptist Church. The Fair showcased 15 local ministries in the lowcountry area. Some are al-

ready being partnered with Screven churches and others were there to open the door for

partnership. About 85 people attended the ministry fair and were all encouraged to engage in

their local communities.

The Cope Unit or block party trailer has really been utilized for the spring ministries and

VBS kick offs. It has been reserved nearly every week since May began. This is a great tool

for our churches to use for outreach events. It is stocked with sno cone, popcorn, and cotton

candy machines, a bounce house, sound system, coolers, tables and chairs. Thank you to

Nick Fraser for overseeing the storage of the unit as well as Crossroads Church for the up-

keep of the Fun in the Son Wagon.

June started with many churches hosting Vacation Bible School-Journey OFF the Map!

The theme was trusting God to be your guide through all situations! At least 19 churches

held VBS in the month of June and at least 14 scheduled for July! Several churches part-

nered together to host VBS. The VBS reports have just started to come in, so next quarter I

will have some more statistics to report.

Sports camps have been very successful mixing the sports with the gospel message.

Screven has partnered with its churches to sponsor 5 camps this summer. Berkeley Baptist

sent a team of volunteers to College Park Baptist June 15-19 to coach and assist with 6 dif-

ferent sports. That week the camp averaged about 55 campers in the 100 plus degrees!

Twelve decisions were made to accept Christ! July 6-10, Champions for Christ sports camp

was held at the Bonneau Recreation Center. Mr. Danny Tracy headed up the local volun-

teers to coach baseball, softball and soccer. The average attendance for the week was 60

and 13 children made professions of faith! Miles Road Baptist Church sent a team of youth/

college students to Gethsemane Baptist Church, July 20-24th. They averaged 45 each day

and had 1 teen accept Christ. What a great summer it has been so far. As I write this today,

July 27, starts the largest camp. It will be at the St. George Middle School and will run

through July 31. Many of the Screven churches in that area partner with a ministry team that

comes from Fort Mill, SC. We also have a soccer camp scheduled for July 31 and Aug 1, at

Lindera Plantation, Cane Bay, with Wassamassaw Baptist being the host church.

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I am so encouraged to see the excitement of the children attending the camps, but more

excited about the enthusiasm of all the volunteers to give of their time and talents in the ex-

treme heat! The love of Jesus has surely been poured on those that attended during these

weeks! I have seen the awesome faith and the leadership skills of our volunteers and youth

teams. What a joy it is for me so serve with these awesome individuals that truly love the

Lord!

Thank you to all who have supported the camps this summer. By volunteering, providing

snacks/water, giving monetary donations and praying for the camps held this summer, you

have been a direct influence in spreading the gospel! Ministry does have costs and I am

grateful for those that have given!

As our sports camps continue to grow, there are a number of items and equipment that

we need to add and replace. We would love to have any sports equipment your kids have

outgrown or not using. Soccer, baseball, t-ball, softball, football, volleyball, basketball and

cheerleading are offered at our camps. We also need a wagon (can be used!) If you have

any of these items and would like to get rid of them, please call me, I would love to have

them!

As hurricane season approaches, I have had some conversational meetings with some of

the local and county emergency preparedness officials. Trying to stay ahead of an emer-

gency situation and partnering together for a plan of recovery should a disaster strike. We

are in the planning stages of what role Screven would and could play to serve our commu-

nities should a disastrous event take place. Specifically, Dorchester County is asking us to

help serve meals and/or provide shelter for the relief workers and the county workers while

working the field. They have also inquired about childcare. If you are interested in being a

part of this, please contact me ASAP.

There will be a WMU leadership event at Camp La Vida Aug 7-9. This is training for

church and associational leadership, but all WMU members are encouraged to attend. This

will be a wonderful time of getting to know more about your WMU. More details can be

found at SCWMU.org.

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For more detail on Calendar items go to the Screven web site and click

on the Calendar tab— http://www.screvenbaptist.org

August 2015

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 August

2 3 6:00PM Committee on

Committees

4 6:30PM Administrative

Committee -

Budget

5 6 6:00PM Nominations

Committee

7 8

9 10 11 2:00PM Order

of Business

Committee

12 13 14 15

16 17 7:00PM Men's Ministry

Chaparral

18 8:30AM CCC Board

1:00PM Committee on Place and

Preacher

19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

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From the Director of Leadership Development James Holliday jholliday@screvenbaptist.org

Ministers Conference

September 1 11AM

Fellowship of Oakbrook

October 6. 11AM

Wassamassaw

Men’s Ministry Meeting

Monday, August 17, 7PM

Chaparral

September 21, 7PM

Harleyville

What Can We Do?

I have been thinking about the recent Supreme Court decision concerning defining marriage. I

wasn’t surprised about the decision but my heart was grieved. I have been thinking about how

we got here. For many, the beginning of our nation was about religious freedom. Many of our

forefathers were God fearing Bible believing men. Many of the principles our nation was founded

upon are from Biblical principles. So how did we go from that kind of start to the situation we find

ourselves in today? I believe a large part of the reason is that the Church in America for the most

part, has lost its godly, moral influence.

It would be easy at this point to point fingers and condemn, but that would not lead us to where

we need to be. We do need to own up and recognize where we are and what we have lost and

seek to have it restored. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:13-16 that we are to be salt and light in the

world. In fact, he declares that we are salt and light. That reality never changes. The problem

he warns us of, is that salt can be so polluted with other impurities that it loses its saltiness and

becomes bitter and useless. He also warns that we are capable of living in such a way that we

are hiding or obscuring the Light of His truth. The reality is, every single believer together make

up the church. The church then can only be effective to the degree its members are living in a

deep, abiding, life altering relationship with Jesus. That is a life that is pure salt and bright unhin-

dered light that is lived in such a way that the character and person of Christ is revealed through

us.

The sad reality is that many in the church today have slowly but steadily moved away from

such a life to become more and more like the world. Lives like this instead of influencing the

world toward godliness, aid in its deterioration. There is no middle ground. We are either salt

and light positively affecting the world for Christ or we are part of the problem and thereby loose

our godly influence in the world. There is only one answer to this. We must be willing to take an

honest look at our lives and compare them to the life of Christ. He is the only appropriate meas-

ure to compare ourselves to. To live in any way other than perusing a life transforming relation-

ship with Jesus is to be in sin and thereby partly responsible for the degradation of our society.

The only answer is to confess our sin, repent, and seek to live out with purity a life that is truly

God empowered salt and light. The only hope for our country is that there would be a great out-

pouring of repentance from God’s people across this land that we might regain our influence and

lead forth in righteousness. Would you commit with me by honestly evaluating your life com-

pared to Jesus and repent of anything that is hindering you from being His salt and light in this

world?

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Pastor/Staff Anniversaries August

Roger Teeslink—Jedburg Philip Melton—Jedburg Bobby Eubanks—Ridge

Charles Wallace -FBC Moncks Corner Don Albertson—Ridge

Robert Rivers—Salem Kevin Hinton—Old St George

SPORTS CAMPS

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From the Director of Missions Robert Bailey bbailey@screvenbaptist.org

One of our primary goals in Screven Baptist Association is seeing

our churches experience transformation and revitalization through the

power of the Holy Spirit. It is God who produces fruitful ministry and

fruitful living and not ourselves. But for some of our churches, it is all

about staying busy in ministry, running and taking care of things, but

little prayer. But when we bring our problems and issues to God in prayer, he has promised

that the Holy Spirit would help us pray with power (Rom. 8:26). Imagine if more of our church-

es would just stop everything for one day a week (or even one day a month), so time could be

set aside for prayer. None of us could even imagine the awesome answers God would send

in response.

If we look at our culture today, if we look at the challenge of our nation becoming more god-

less by the week, if we look at the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriages—

instead of lamenting and protesting, wouldn’t it be better for us to plead with God to visit his

people? Moving toward God begins with desperate prayer. But some will say, “We have to be

involved in the political process.” But prayer is God’s process. Where has political activism

with an exclusion of prayer over the last twenty-five years gotten us? Have we seen America

move toward God? Have we seen the church draw closer to God? Only a different approach

can bring different results.

But what would happen if more of our churches started opening their doors for prayer and

praying for one another, our pastors and leaders, our nation, and our missionaries? Spending

time pouring out our hearts to God about our families, our marriages, and asking God to give

us a heart like His.

When God answers our prayers, it humbles us, and we cannot praise Him enough. What

would happen if our churches united together for prayer? What victories would be won that

once seemed impossible? What if, inside and outside our churches, across racial, denomina-

tional, and theological lines, we started encouraging one another? May God stir our churches

to pray for one another, our pastors and leaders, because unceasing prayer rather than per-

sonal criticism is what’s needed.

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Screven Baptist Association

1851 Dawson Branch Road Summerville, SC 29483

843-871-2410 Toll Free: 1-800-868-2410 Fax 843-821-7050

Screven@screvenbaptist.org www.screvenbaptist.org

Covenant Counseling Center of South Carolina

843-851-1806 Toll Free: 1.844.869.0905 CCCSC@screvenbaptist.org www.covenantcounselingsc.org

Thank You for Your Faithful Financial Support!

JUNE YTD JUNE YTD

Berkeley 985.60 6,207.80 North Trident 557.30 3,594.56

Bethel 303.33 1,867.82 Oakbrook, The Fellowship of 200.00 1,200.00

Beulah 250.00 500.00 Old Fort 4,316.06 23,801.64

Bonneau First 0.00 1,619.49 Old St. George 0.00 1,000.00

Brookhaven 0.00 0.00 Pleasant Grove 0.00 777.08

Calvary, Moncks Corner 923.00 4,220.00 Providence 272.36 1,225.53

Calvary Pregnall 0.00 0.00 Reevesville 0.00 875.00

Chaparral 30.00 180.00 Ridge 0.00 1,140.20

College Park 0.00 737.03 Ridgeville 366.83 2,205.15

Cordesville, First 782.47 3,578.00 St. John's Bethel 400.63 2,221.75

Corinth 200.00 1,200.00 St. Matthews 332.12 1,557.40

Crossroads 333.00 1,998.00 St. Stephen, First 0.00 1,975.00

Eutawville, First 100.00 600.00 Salem 651.73 3,232.27

Faith 162.35 866.24 Sandridge 291.57 1,423.13

Flowertown 150.00 300.00 Sangaree Baptist Church 1,000.00 1,400.00

Gethsemane 211.58 1,031.55 Santee Circle 133.59 921.78

Givhans 600.00 600.00 Summerville 2,672.41 15,257.76

Harleyville, First 367.05 2,240.79 Tall Pines 195.00 832.00

Harristown Road 0.00 474.00 Wassamassaw 802.08 4,812.48

Holly Hill, First 0.00 3,000.00 SCBC Contributions 0.00 0.00

Hopewell 0.00 0.00 Other 0.00 0.00

Iglesia Nueva Vision 0.00 0.00 Covenant Counseling/Rent 0.00 0.00

Jamestown 0.00 525.00 Endowment Funds Interest 0.00 795.95

Jedburg, First 1,311.88 6,666.17 The Journey Church 1,250.00 2,500.00

Knightsville 363.26 1,815.29 The Pines Church 0.00 369.49

Lighthouse Community 0.00 170.00 Solid Rock (Gilead Prop.) 800.00 4,800.00

Limestone 276.00 1,581.00 Cornerstone 100.00 600.00

Lydia 263.83 1,728.89 The Church at Cane Bay 350.00 2,100.00

Memorial 0.00 2,083.35 Ministerio Hispano de la Ridge 0.00 0.00

Midway 0.00 1,066.33 Truway Missionary Baptist 0.00 0.00

Miles Road 0.00 0.00 The Hive Church 0.00 620.00

Moncks Corner, First 995.75 3,859.27 Total Revenues 23,426.78 133,446.47

Mt. Olivet 0.00 853.28 Total Expenses 21,949.46 133,958.04

Mt. Zion 126.00 639.00 Aaron Tyner Offering 315.25 816.40