Nova Scotia
A brand new missions partnership took its first steps August 1-8 when a team of volunteers from the Lexington Baptist Association travelled to Halifax, Nova Scotia to assist Canadian Baptist churches in sharing the love of Christ. The team, made up of members from First Baptist Chapin and Green Hill Baptist, joined forces with missions volunteers from the Bluffton area to do a little bit of everything from block parties to children’s day camps to prayer-walking. In addition, our Canadian neighbors were initiated into the joys of good, old-fashioned southern barbecue by a top-notch team of competition grade barbecue chefs from Greenwood.
The trip was part of an effort by the Canadian Baptist Convention to reach communities for Christ by sponsoring events that show community members that Baptist churches care for them. The effort was initiated last November when representatives from the CBC attended the South Carolina Baptist Convention in Columbia. During that meeting Rev. Chad McKenzie, pastor of Journey Church in Enfield, Nova Scotia, asked South Carolina Baptists to send as many short-term mission teams as possible to help share the gospel in the Halifax area during the summer months. Several SCBC individuals and teams responded to his request, including the team from the Lexington Association.
During the trip, team members worked with local Canadian Baptist Churches to focus on getting the message of Christ’s love out to area families. The week began in Enfield, where a day camp was held for area children which drew over 100 attendees. The children were treated to a day jam packed with soccer classes, dance classes, balloon animals, face painting, Bible stories, Christian songs and games.
Evangelistic block parties were also held in several communities during the week, featuring activities for children such as face painting, bouncy castles, balloon animals, clowns and games. While the children enjoyed the various activities, parents were able to stuff themselves on the excellent pulled-pork barbecue provided by the Greenwood team. During that time, team members worked with volunteers from the sponsoring churches to move among the crowd talking to people, forming relationships, and sharing the gospel.
While the block parties were in full swing, another portion of the Lexington team was in the Halifax area helping run a basketball camp for neighborhood children. As many as 50 children attended the camp each day, where they were drilled in various basketball skills and taught the rules of the sport. As a part of each evening’s program, campers were also treated to a Bible study that included a gospel presentation.
The Nova Scotian churches were thrilled with the efforts of the South Carolina teams, and a partnership is in the works that will provide for interaction between the two nations for several years to come. Currently, a vision trip is being planned so that Lexington Baptist Association pastors and missions leaders can have an opportunity to travel to the Halifax area to see the needs first hand and meet with potential missions partners. If you or someone in your church would be interested in taking such a trip, please contact David Lee at the LBA.
