SOUTH HILL, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ partnership with South Africa has provided the opportunity for many churches and associations to sponsor church plants with the Free State Baptist Association, one of seven regional associations of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa.
The Concord Baptist Association was assigned a church plant in North West Province just northwest of Johannesburg with Jonas Motosomane as its pastor.
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Concord Association’s churches together funded $13,000 for New Creation Baptist Church of Dikweipirst for five years, allowing time for the congregation to grow and support the church and pastor. In the fall of 2010, Motosomane came to Virginia and shared with churches in the Concord Association the future plans for the churches. This provided a wonderful opportunity to see the progress made and opportunities to get involved.
When asked what else could be done, the need for a room for a day care center was presented. A mission trip was planned and funds sent to purchase the needed materials to build the room. When the Concord team arrived, however, it found the foundation laid for not one, but two classrooms. With the help of a local person who knew the building procedures, the team from Concord was able to complete both rooms.
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Team members also worked with an open air evangelism effort, spoke and gave testimonies in the church and visited with the preschool of New Creation Baptist Church. Members of the team were John Alford and Wanda Crickenberger of Sanford Memorial Baptist Church in Broadnax, Va.; Carolyn Carter and Sudie Early of Tabernacle Baptist Church in South Hill, Va.; Morris Locke of Boydton (Va.) Baptist Church; Patrick McClaughtery, Donna Dennis, Joyce Taylor and Dale Tuck of Clarksville (Va.) Baptist Church; and Jean Robinette of Fields United Methodist Church in Shenandoah, Va.
“In planning this mission trip the building of the physical building was our main objective,” says Carolyn Carter. “As God brought many things to our table we quickly learned the building of relationships was much more important.”
The Condord Association is a fellowship of 31 congregations in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties and portions of Charlotte and Lunenburg counties.