Pastor Dean Reynolds describes Washington Street Baptist Church members as having a “heart for reaching the lost, especially the lost living in downtown Winnsboro.” This driving force has had some exciting momentum over the last year as the church baptized 12 people in 2024 and had 15 children pray to receive Christ during their Vacation Bible School earlier in June.

“The Lord is moving the heart of the church to be relevant and impact this community with the gospel in order to bring people into the Kingdom of God,” says Reynolds, who was called out of retirement last fall to pastor the church. “God is reviving hearts, including my own, as He is reviving a vision for Washington Street to be a church reaching the lost.”

The church was planted about 45 years ago as Winnsboro Baptist Mission and then, after purchasing First Baptist Winnsboro’s former downtown facilities on Washington Street in the early 1980’s, voted to become renamed after its new address. When the church’s former pastor resigned for health reasons several years ago Reynolds was called first as a supply preacher, then as interim, and finally as the full-time senior pastor of the church he describes as “tremendous, and filled with sweet people.” The gospel is clearly presented in every service along with an invitation to respond.

Church members regularly utilize CMBA’s Block Party Trailer and last year leveraged their good relationship with town officials to request several street closures close to the church in order to expand their Fall Festival. Washington Street was motivated to create a larger block party to show children living in downtown Winnsboro that the church was willing to do whatever it takes to reach them with the hope of the gospel. Another powerful outreach ministry for the church has been the annual week of VBS.

The majority of Washington Street’s 2024 baptisms were a result of VBS contacts, Renolds estimates as many as 10 children prayed to receive Christ through it last summer. The entire church joins in making the VBS experience special for children, including by elaborately decorating the sanctuary several weeks ahead to build excitement. This year several men in the church built a train engine out of plastic 50-gallon barrels and wheels that moved – “it looked just like a train, including the light on the front,” Reynolds says.

Teenagers are an essential part of VBS at Washington Street each year, helping to lead music and play roles in the themed drama. This year Reynolds felt led to ask one of the students to present the gospel presentation to the entire auditorium through her character’s role, which is a job typically reserved for the pastor during VBS. The script had Harper, who is 15 years old, share the gospel with two other characters on stage, then she took it one step further.

“I used the ABC’s (Admit, Believe, Confess) method with the characters and asked if they wanted to accept Christ in their hearts. Then I turned to the children in the audience and asked if any of them wanted to do that, too. The ones who responded came forward and we all prayed together,” Harper recalls, adding that she was “nervous at first, but the words just came to me. Sharing the gospel is the most important thing – it’s the difference between a life apart from God or a life with God forever.”

“She was willing and did a phenomenal job,” Reynolds recounts with emotion. “She presented the gospel so well and passionately, I remember thinking afterward that she ‘won the soul-winner’s crown today.’ In fact, I shared what that meant later that evening with all the youth who were there, and you could see their faces light up realizing that their service had pleased Jesus so much.”

Drawing from his own experience as a former youth minister years ago, Reynolds underscores the value of including youth in ministries within the church. He also challenges churches to remember to praise teenagers who are willing to serve. “They are the Church. Not just in the future but in the right now, and we need to treat them as such.”

Washington Street is planning a baptism service in late July for the children who responded during VBS. Reynolds is working to contact each of them and their families to talk beforehand and anticipates having opportunities to reach lost parents that way as well.

According to Reynolds, child conversions like those that happen during VBS are a special part of his ministry experience. “I made my decision to follow Christ as a 10-year-old, so I know the power of a child’s decision,” he says.