The 2023 CMBA Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, October 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Shandon Baptist Church chapel. Under the theme “On Mission Together,” members of the CMBA Family of Churches are invited to the meeting centered around a time of worship and missions celebration. Rev. Don Brock, pastor of Gateway Baptist in Irmo, will be preaching and USC’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry praise team will lead worship.
According to Associational Missions Strategist Jamie Rogers, participants will “be reminded of God’s desire for us to be about His mission, here at home and around the world. He has given us a great task to accomplish, and we get to serve Him together as a family of Baptist churches – and He goes with us!”
Messengers to the meeting will vote on the 2024 CMBA budget, revisions to the bylaws, and the association’s upcoming five-year international partnership agreement. Messengers will hear details regarding opportunities to partner with International Mission Board personnel serving in Central Spain. This region was selected because it has easy travel accessibility, is home to multiple people groups, and can provide missions opportunities to teams of all ages. If approved, the partnership would officially begin in 2024.
“I desire to see Baptists involved in missions around the world, and this partnership is a way our association can connect CMBA individuals and churches looking to serve in new ways, or perhaps for the first time,” Rogers says. “As we became aware of the evangelism and missions needs across Europe, I truly believe it’s the ‘forgotten mission field.’”
Several ministry partners will be onsite during the meeting, including representatives from Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries, Oliver Gospel Missions, Circle of Welcome, Set Free, and several South Carolina Baptist institutions. Participants are invited to stay for a dessert fellowship following the meeting at 8 p.m.
Shandon Baptist is located at 5250 Forest Drive in Columbia. Use the covered entrance from the church’s back parking lot to access the exhibits and meeting areas.