More than 200 people served in Allendale County on Oct. 13 as part of CBF of South Carolina’s first work day. Allendale County is the state’s poorest county. Photo courtesy Sue Poss

ATLANTA – One Allendale, S.C., man said he’d never experienced the love of Jesus like he did Saturday, Oct. 13, as more than 200 church members from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner churches in South Carolina converged in Allendale county for CBF of South Carolina’s first statewide workday.

“It really stirs your heart to know that in a small way you can affect other people’s lives,” said Ed Skaggs, who participated with 12 others from Fernwood Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C. “It’s not always the big things you do; it’s the little things that can mean a lot to people.”

Church members representing 22 South Carolina churches – including some who had never participated in a mission project before – worked on construction projects, including demolishing interiors of abandoned houses that will be refurbished. Teams visited the local nursing home, sorted clothes at a thrift shop, cleaned debris and led a backyard Bible club.

"The work turned into a Jesus thing," said CBF of South Carolina moderator Helen Phillips. "We did something in the name of Jesus that made a difference."

It was CBF of South Carolina’s first attempt at a statewide workday in Allendale. Instead of their usual fall convocation at a partner church, they rallied to serve with a partner ministry in the state’s poorest county.

"[The coordinating council] thought instead of having a meeting, why don’t we do something," said Marion Aldridge, coordinator for CBF of South Carolina.

Inspired by Together for Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s national rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest U.S. counties, CBF of South Carolina committed several years ago to help the state’s poorest county. So far, they have partnered with First Baptist Church in Allendale and with Christ Central Ministries (CCM) to assist people in crisis.

"We’re too small to hire somebody and put them on staff [in Allendale], so we began to partner with Christ Central," Aldridge said. "At that time, Christ Central and CBF had nothing but a dream, but we began to send work crews down there to renovate an old house that was to be used as a halfway house. Now there is a woman's shelter and a men's shelter."

Allendale County borders Georgia in the southwestern corner of the state. Like many rural counties, Allendale hasn’t experienced the economic growth like other areas of the state. According to U.S. Census reports, more than 30 percent of the county’s residents live under the federal poverty line.

"Allendale has wonderful people, and [poverty] hasn’t deteriorated the quality of people," said Carol Holladay, who serves as associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Allendale. "It was wonderful to see so many people come together to help people in Allendale. There’s a spirit that we’re trying to improve things [in Allendale], and having people here just reaffirmed that."

With the history of poverty in the county longstanding and deep-rooted, leadership insists that the more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service on Oct. 13 is just a start for CBF of South Carolina.

"This will not be the last time we’ll go," Phillips said.

To read more about CBF of South Carolina’s work in Allendale, visit www.cbfofsc.org/missionRelated/allendale.html. For more about Together for Hope, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.