CMBA Officers Express Thanks for Our Ministry with Churches

The Southern Baptist Convention observes the third week of October as the Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations. Members of the Visionary Leadership Community (VLC), a group of ministers and lay leaders that meet monthly to conduct the corporate work and ministry of the CMBA, recently shared what they appreciate about the work of the association. These individuals have a unique perspective, as they are aware of decision-making details along with the Kingdom victories shared and celebrated among CMBA member and network churches.

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Ant Frederick Chair and Pastor of Midtown Fellowship Two Notch

 

How Long have you been serving on the VLC?

Three years

 

How do you see the CMBA fulfilling its vision to help churches become more "vital and vibrant missional communities?"

As an association, we are doing a great job of encouraging and meeting with pastors, equipping pastors to lead well and meeting with churches and their leaders for encouragement. We are also doing a great job of getting leaders together from different churches to discuss challenges, working to strengthen a lot of our churches.

 

What are some things you celebrate about the collective work of the association and its churches across the Midlands? 

I see a lot of good early steps being taken toward racial unity and reconciliation. I am glad about a lot of what I believe to be growing partnerships and networking among churches across the association.

 

What opportunities do you see for the CMBA?

Going forward it should be all about a movement of churches planting churches. I think any amount of effort we put toward furthering that will be a good use of time, efforts and energy.


As a member of VLC I’ve seen the fruit of collaboration and the benefit of our churches putting financial investment into the association. I want to express my appreciation to the churches that are investing in the CMBA and I want our churches to know and be assured that the money is being used to strengthen and start new churches. I’m grateful to everyone who gives and to everyone who serves on the VLC.


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Bill Wright Moderator and Associate Pastor of Temple Baptist in Columbia

 

How Long have you been serving on the VLC?

I previously served with the CMBA for 14 years as the Director of Missions Ministries and have served with the VLC for about four years.  

 

How do you see the CMBA fulfilling its vision?

I would say in three important ways:

It is intentional – The association is not just waiting to react to events. As a leadership group representing the churches as a whole, we are engaging with the churches in meaningful dialogue and partnership.

It is inclusive – The association is not just working with one group of the churches, but the strategy and work is engaging all types of churches. The strategy is engaging thriving churches, struggling churches, new churches, language churches, etc.

It is relational – The association is working to continue and even develop great relationships with the churches. I see this as key to our work now as well as in the future.

 

What are some things you celebrate about the CMBA?

I am so excited about our work with ethnic language groups living here. The Lord has literally brought the world to the Columbia area. We are blessed to have a leader like Ryan Dupree on our team who is so knowledgeable about reaching the ethnic diversity in our area and our state. I am also excited to see intentional work being done to partner and come alongside churches that are struggling, to pray and dream with their leadership about the future.

 

What opportunities do you see for the CMBA?

I am so thankful for our staff at CMBA. We have needed a person to tell the story about what God is doing through the churches in Columbia. When visiting churches in my staff role I would share samples of what God was doing through the churches and have always said the CMBA was the best kept secret. Having a dedicated writer is already helping with getting that word out.


I am also grateful for the work of Robert Grant and David Waganer, who have been such a blessing to our churches. We have needed that type of assistance and support for years. These men have giftedness and experience that help our churches tremendously.

Cathy Locklear is a champion for human need ministry. She has been a blessing to our churches and Columbia area for so long, and we are so blessed to have her on our staff. Andre Rogers has been a friend and blessing in my life for many years. I am so thankful for his love for pastors and the churches. Only eternity will tell the impact he has made on leaders like myself and the churches in Columbia.

 

CMBA churches have invested so much in my life and given me so much, I want to just spend this part of my ministry giving back a little to them. I was so blessed and I am so thankful to have served the churches on staff for CMBA, and I only hope I can be an encouragement to them during these years.


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J Thompson Vice Moderator and Pastor of Cedar Creek Baptist in Blythewood

 

How Long have you been serving on the VLC?

Two years

 

How do you see the CMBA fulfilling its vision?

There is good connectivity right now in the association that is opening doors. There is a healthy sense that we can count on each other and are there for each other. This really helps when we are trying to build and plant strong churches, strengthen existing churches and have a network of congregations. CMBA is also doing a great job communicating – if you don’t know what’s going on, it’s your own fault. 

 

What are some things you celebrate about the CMBA?

Having a sense of family. There is a sense of teamwork and commitment to looking ahead, which are essential for local churches and the association. As we practice Baptist polity, there is a sense of togetherness that I also appreciate. As we look to the future there is a lot happening right now – the pandemic, many issues in the culture we are in – and if we can keep the focus on the Kingdom, it will enable us to go forward in a united way.

 

What opportunities do you see for the CMBA?

The association has been great in coming alongside of pastors. I have been impressed with that. Some pastors get the notion that they are on an island, but I think what we’ve created here in CMBA is a great comradery that moves across racial lines. We have internationals and healthy diversity, and we encourage that diversity. We want everyone in the kingdom to come and feast together, work together and be a part of what God is doing. 

 

We have a good foundation and have stayed financially and spiritually stable during the pandemic. I want to tip my hat to George Bullard, who has been a real instigator in a lot of these things and I appreciate that. 


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Brenda Sheets Treasurer and Member of St. Andrews Baptist in Columbia

 

How Long have you been serving on the VLC?

I served a three-year term on the VLC and am now serving a 2020 term as Treasurer for CMBA.

 

How do you see the CMBA fulfilling its vision?

I believe that CMBA is working hard to fulfill our vision. The services that CMBA now has to offer congregations is very beneficial to churches. The fact that we sold off the real estate and are using the funds from those sales to assist congregations is a wonderful way to serve the congregations. The new people that are working with us to provide assistance to the congregations is a huge bonus. They bring their areas of expertise to our staff so that CMBA can aid our churches.

 

What are some things you celebrate about the CMBA?

The grants that CMBA offers to the congregations is a definitely a cause for celebration. These grants allow CMBA to assist the churches with programs they already have in place. The expertise and benefits that the “contract workers” bring to CMBA allows all the member churches to benefit from their expertise.  

 

What opportunities do you see for the CMBA?

I can’t even imagine all the opportunities. I believe that as more and more of our member churches discover exactly the ways in which CMBA can assist them, CMBA will find even more ways to assist the churches. 

 

I am so proud of the way in which CMBA has evolved through the years to provide services that our churches need, and even some that they didn’t know they needed.  


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Cookie Adams Clerk and Member of Kilbourne Park Baptist in Columbia

 

How Long have you been serving on the VLC?

I have served on the VLC since 2017.

 

How do you see the CMBA fulfilling its vision?

I really feel that George has made a point to reach out to all of the churches in the CMBA, but especially to those smaller and/or struggling congregations. The VLC has members from all sizes of churches in the association and there is a good representation geographically. Personally, I know that George has spent a lot of time with my church, Kilbourne Park Baptist Church, to try to give us guidance as to how to best move forward and serve God in the Columbia area.  

 

What are some things you celebrate about the CMBA?

I am excited about the new hire [Robbie McAlister] to concentrate on starting new congregations of churches in the area, including many ethnic groups. I am also excited about the renewed emphasis on WMU. Cathy Locklear has always done a great job with our hunger ministry for the CMBA. I certainly do celebrate each month as we get Jamie Roger’s report on Baptist Collegiate Ministries at the University of South Carolina. Before the pandemic, we had some wonderful and informative programs to help our churches. We had good attendance at these events. 

 

What opportunities do you see for the CMBA?

I feel that we, as a committee, are trying very hard to use the money from the sale of the CMBA building for the greatest good of serving God in the metro area. George is a great leader and a good motivator. I see the future as very bright for the CMBA as we move forward to empower and strengthen churches.


About the author 

Kyndra Bremer