Union hosts 225 missionaries from North Carolina

For thirty-six years, folks from Spartanburg, South Carolina, have been ministering to the people of Southeastern Kentucky through a project called Kentucky Missions. This year was no different.

Armed with enough information to conduct two-dozen bible schools, a construction crew, a chalk artist, a basketball camp staff and a puppet team, this caravan of 225 good souls arrived at their base camp, Union College, ready to begin their mission work. And that mission is to conduct vacation Bible school for churches in Knox, Bell, Harlan and other surrounding counties of Southeastern Kentucky.

This year makes the fifth year that the group has stayed at Union's campus. "The missionaries stay in our student housing rooms and really make Union their home for the time they are here," Bobbie Doolin, events coordinator at Union says. "We enjoy the time they are here and we have had several of the youth choose to attend Union."

To conduct vacation Bible school, the group travels around in big, white vans with the Spartanburg youth who are divided into teams, each with a team "mom" and "dad." The youth assume all responsibilities of leadership within the Bible Schools. Churches where they conducted the Bible schools included Newtown, Pine Grove, Chenoa, Callaway, Arjay, Indian Creek, Apple Grove, and Riverside. Some of the longest relationships with area churches have been Tugglesville and Callaway, which held their first Spartanburg-led Bible schools in the late sixties.

Seth Buckley, Minister to Students at First Baptist Spartanburg, says, "Our church has been blessed to partner with the churches in Kentucky to reach children and teens with a message of hope that is life changing. I have personally witnessed the lives of hundreds of our folks who have been forever changed through this partnership and I have also seen the same for the folks in Kentucky. It is so good to see how God reaches across the miles to let us work together and then makes us feel as though we are family with the precious folks there! Only Jesus can make that happen!"

This year in all the Bible schools combined, almost 1500 children and adults participated. Area pastors welcomed FBCS youth into their hearts, churches, and pulpits. Pastor Jim Bargo of Indian Creek Baptist church says, "The group from Spartanburg really can connect with the children in this area, and the children really loved the attention and caring they were given by them. Just seeing the hugs during the last night of service was touching. It showed the love they have and their willingness to give their time to do God's work."

This mission group has a long history with the people of Southeastern Kentucky. When First Baptist Church Spartanburg called a new pastor over three decades ago, Dr. Alastair Walker came from First Baptist Church Middlesboro. And even though Dr. Walker left the area, his love and concern for the people of Bell County remained. Dr. Walker put together a mission team of thirty adults and youth and the church sent them on the first "Kentucky Missions" trip. When Dr. Walker retired, Dr. Don Wilton became pastor of the church and he, too, caught the vision of Kentucky Missions. Dr. Wilton has faithfully encouraged the group to return each year.

July 19, 2004

 

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