Our Association's Annual Meeting

Under the capable leadership of Pastor Allen Perry, Coosawhatchie Baptist Church will host our association's Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 21. The event begins at 6:00 PM with hors d'oeuvres, fellowship, and registration. The business / worship session convenes at 7:00 PM, with Rev. Leon Meadows, Moderator, presiding.

Attendees will participate in singing, prayer, hearing reports of SRBA's life and work, and hearing a message from God's Word by Derris Davenport, Interim Director of Missions. Messengers will elect leaders and officers, adopt a budget for 2015, and conduct other associational business.

Under the new bylaws (adopted in 2011), the association conducts an Annual Meeting in October, and foregoes a biannual meeting (formerly scheduled in April). The Program and Resolutions Committee (Rev. Kevin Crosby, Chair-elect) followed the order inaugurated last year by placing the sermon near the middle of the session, with some business earlier and some afterwards. It seemed to work well last year, so we'll try it again!

Pastors, lead your church to elect messengers. Encourage them to attend, and join them! I look forward to a well attended, encouraging Annual Meeting at Coosawhatchie Baptist Church on October 21, beginning at 6:00 PM! Meet me there!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

The holidays are just around the corner, and apparently Christmas begins in September now, if you haven't seen the holiday aisles in stores recently. Although I believe the products already being in stores is very premature, it is not too early to begin planning for holiday ministry opportunities. Fall Festivals, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and ringing in the New Year can all be used as effective community outreach.

Association wide, we collect food items for a Thanksgiving meal at Hunting Island State Park. In the past few years this outreach has grown to minister to over three hundred campers, staff, and community families at the park on Thanksgiving Day. Items to collect include frozen turkeys, gallons of peanut oil, large cans of green beans and corn, boxes of potato flakes and stuffing, cranberry sauce, and powdered tea and lemonade mix. Items need to be turned in to the SRBA office by Monday, November 17th.

During the Christmas season, a few of our churches partner with Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree Ministry to minister to children in our community who have one or both parents currently in prison. To connect with one of these churches working with Prison Fellowship, please call the SRBA office.

As a state-wide ministry, we collect Prisoner Packets in partnership with WMU and SCBC. This year, 25,000 packets are needed and will be used as a vessel by which we deliver the message of God's Love to inmates throughout our state. Packets are due to SRBA by December 3rd, and the list of items to include in the packet includes:

• One Black non-retractable pen (no wire clip and no other color pen)
• One junior legal or no larger than 5½"x 8" Writing Tablet (no wire bound tablets)
• One Adult Toothbrush (individually factory-sealed, no multi-packs)
• Five First-Class #10 Stamp-Embossed Envelopes (purchased at US Post Office)
• Two Rolls of Candy (LifeSavers, Mentos, Breath Savers type)
• One 4 oz. to 6 oz. Bar of Soap (no travel size)One 5.8 oz. or larger Toothpaste (no travel size)
• 1 gallon size zipper bag

Also, in partnership with the Beaufort Housing Authority, SRBA assists underprivileged families in celebrating Christmas through "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" parties, providing gifts of toys and clothing, and by meeting immediate needs, such as giving families boxes of food. Donations of new or gently used adult and children's clothing, toys, and in-date food items are very much appreciated by these families.

Volunteers are needed to assist with all of these opportunities listed above. It is a blessing to be a part of such beautiful ministries that reach across our state - consider joining us!