Eight CMBA churches donated 113 welcome baskets for international teachers arriving to the Midlands this fall. These teachers will be serving in Richland Districts One and Two schools, which are all within the CMBA footprint. Spring Valley Baptist served as the collection site on Monday, July 17.
“Way to go, CMBA,” Associational Missions Strategist Jamie Rogers said Monday afternoon. The baskets “will help our churches connect with international teachers who will be serving our local children in classrooms this year.”
The annual ministry is through the South Carolina Baptist Convention and its commitment to serve local schools and communities through Heart4Schools ministries. According to a state convention representative, the two Richland School Districts combined anticipate hiring more than 300 international teachers for the 2023-24 school year. The baskets are a meaningful way to share the love of Christ with these new neighbors.
Each basket contains the same basic household items to help meet immediate needs for these teachers who arrive to South Carolina with few personal belongings and very limited funds. One teacher called the baskets “an excellent starter kit, enough to help us transition as we begin our teaching journey here.” Another said some teachers “come to the United States with their children and have left many things behind, so everything in the basket is useful.”
CMBA thanks Beulah, Crooked Run, First Baptist Columbia, Greenlawn, Harmony, Kilbourne Park, Shandon, and Spring Valley churches for supporting this important community ministry this year.