Church Buzz

Alocal mission is bringing its message beyond South Carolina’s borders.

Pastor Frances Celestine and Student Pastor Austin Cox recently took 14 members of Calvary Chapel Lexington on a mission trip to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The team served alongside Pastor Jerry Singh and his team of 6 from One Way Evangelical Ministries in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Members ranged in age from 12-82 which allowed a lot of inter-generational bonding.

They spent a week working with a local pastor doing VBS for kids, tract distribution and street evangelism.

The team also had an opportunity to visit an adult prison and a juvenile detention center to share the Gospel. Over 45 people accepted Christ as their savior.

Some had heard about Christ but had no personal relationship with him. Others had no knowledge of Christ at all. But they were very open to the Gospel.

The pastor and church members will follow up with the people who made a profession of faith.

The benefits to the reservation seem obvious, but I wanted to know what impact the trip had on the team members. While the reactions and benefits were different for each person, there were several things they all had in common.

It forced most team members out of their comfort zone. It exposed them to a very a different culture right here in the USA.

They didn’t have to go to a third-world country to witness extreme poverty, hopelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and high unemployment. And they came away with more of a heart for serving God’s people.

How can you put 20 near strangers aged 12-82 under one roof for a week and not have disagreements and conflict? You can when Christ was the central focus for all.

It’s all about sharing Christ’s love with those who do not know Him or have a relationship with Him.

Do you have a ministry that you want to talk about? Contact me by phone at 803-348-0243 or email at Chuck. lexchron@gmail.com .