The CMBA Executive Team gathered September 17 at St. Andrews Baptist for its biannual meeting to share ministry updates and conduct business.
Earlier that day, the CMBA Advisory Team met virtually and agreed on several recommendations to bring before messengers to the Executive Team’s evening meeting. A 2023 vote by messengers from CMBA member churches updated CMBA bylaws to eliminate the association’s Annual Meeting, and conduct any related business during the established fall Executive Team meetings moving forward.
Moderator Bill Crews called the messengers into the business session, which included discussion on the 2025 CMBA budget. Messengers voted to approve the budget and elected several individuals to serve for upcoming terms. Beulah Baptist Pastor Cameron DeBrew is the CMBA Vice-Moderator, and the following CMBA church members will begin serving new terms on the Advisory Team: Bill Crews, GraceChurch of Columbia; Yvonne Murray, NorthStar Christian Center; Alfredo Vargas, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Lykesland; and, Bill Wright, First Baptist Columbia.
Kingdom celebrations were the main focus of Associational Missions Strategist Jamie Rogers’ report, which began with an illustration of the urgency CMBA churches should have to reach the greater Midlands area with the gospel.
“In our footprint, there are over 400,000 lost people. That’s the equivalent of eight packed Williams Brice Stadiums,” Rogers said. “None of us knows all 400,000 of them and I can’t help but think that, because of where we live and the scattered nature of our local congregations, every one of these individuals probably knows one of us. If we can just get the Church on mission, sharing the gospel, then we really could begin to think about reaching all 400,000 lost people.”
In addition to reports from various recent and upcoming CMBA trainings and leadership events, Rogers left messengers with inspiring stories of church revitalization, replanting, and missions from across the association.
Ed Stewart, pastor of New Creation Baptist, shared how God has been at work in his nine-month-old church that was replanted out of the Woodfield Park Baptist location. In addition to holding its first baptism service in June, Stewart said that 18 children prayed to receive Christ during VBS and told stories about life transformation happening in his church. In response to Rogers asking why things are going well at New Creation, Stewart said “it’s nothing to do with me, it’s allowing God to shine. We meet people, make connections, meet needs, and build relationships. That allows for conversations where the gospel can come up.”
Rogers invited former Ravenwood Baptist Member Marty Kerns and Pastor Ant Frederick, of Midtown Fellowship Two Notch, to share details of Ravenwood’s recent dissolution and gifting of its building and assets to Midtown, who will worship from that location moving forward. Kerns credited an article about Midtown on the CMBA website with cementing his vote in the matter. For his part, Frederick says his church had prayed for a new space for 10 years and that they are “excited to have a neighborhood ministry again, and to have space for our families to come and be comfortable.” Kerns encouraged churches in similar situations to Ravenwood to remember that they are “stewards of what God has entrusted to us,” and part of that responsibility is to “see that God’s work will continue on.”
Finally, Rogers introduced Pineview Baptist Pastor DJ Kirkland to update messengers on the Kingdom impacts happening through his congregation following a recent revitalization experience. Kirkland says the church is seeing new believers praying to receive Christ and other members are growing in their faith, which is “very encouraging to see.” He went on to share about Pineview’s parsonage that has been renovated to house missionaries on furlough.
Of note from CMBA Advisory Team news were reports of a “movement of God’s Spirit on campuses nation-wide” as well as in Columbia-area schools, according to local USC BCM Director Adam Venters and Benedict and Allen BCM Director Morgan Allen. Venters reports an increase in student participation this fall – over 200 attending worship weekly, with as high as 275 – and that his ministry has seen 24 salvations and nine calls to ministry in this semester alone.
Allen reports similar growth in Benedict BCM’s third year of existence, which has gone from a weekly attendance of roughly 20 last school year to averaging 75 this fall, with four Allen students walking to Benedict’s campus to participate. Allen credits a series of engaging activities, a welcome bag distribution, and a Midtown Two Notch prayer walking event with strengthening BCM’s kickoff, and says she’s “planning for depth with these students, making sure they know the Lord through their time with BCM.”
In addition to hearing reports from CMBA’s Acts 1:8 and Church Health and Resources Team leaders, messengers were greeted by representatives from Southeastern Seminary and North Greenville University. Sammy Simmons, of NAMB’s Send Relief, presented details about “Serve Tour Columbia” slated for August 22-23, 2025. Simmons encouraged messengers to dream big about missions and outreach project ideas that regional church teams could assist their churches with during the weekend event. NAMB’s project request submission deadline is May 30, 2025, and CMBA churches will receive additional information leading up to this event.
The next Advisory Team meeting will be held November 26. The next Executive Team meeting is on March 18, 2025.