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SBC DIGEST: Videos show impact of partnership; White Oak Conference Center sold

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Videos showcase the impact of partnership

By IMB Staff

Southern Baptists’ generosity to the International Mission Board and Send Relief has reached tens of thousands of refugees and partnering churches in Eastern Europe.

To date, Southern Baptist have given more than $10 million [2] to Ukraine relief through Send Relief [3].

Because the IMB was there before the war broke out, and will be there after it ends, funds and volunteer teams have been and are being intentionally used to meet physical and spiritual needs.

https://vimeo.com/697140743 [4]

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Through partnerships with Texas Baptists, refugees fleeing Ukraine have been offered hope and help. IMB President Paul Chitwood shared some of the ways Texas Baptists served in Poland.

https://vimeo.com/697140292 [6]

Because of longstanding partnerships with Romanian Baptists, the IMB has been able to partner to support the churches there as they minister to Ukrainian refugees and those still inside the country. Partnerships like these, that sustain their efforts, weren’t built overnight. They are the product of IMB missionary presence for years.

https://vimeo.com/696571164 [7]

In Poland, the longstanding partnership with Chelm Baptist has opened the door for Send Relief and the IMB to aid them as they get food across the border into Ukraine. Pastor Henryk Skrzypkowski shared his gratitude for this partnership that equips their ministry.

https://vimeo.com/697140406 [8]

For more information on the IMB’s Ukraine response, visit imb.org/Ukraine [9].


White Oak Conference Center sold

The South Carolina Baptist Convention has announced the sale of its White Oak Conference Center located in Winnsboro, S.C. During the convention’s annual meeting in 2016, the executive board was tasked by the Vision Committee to “recommend a plan of action in regard to the White Oak Conference Center that would reduce the need for Cooperative Program funding.” The Executive Board in 2017 voted to pursue seeking buyers for WOCC.

The facility was sold on a “lease/purchase” agreement to a private school out of Winnsboro. That agreement was canceled on the part of the buyer in June 2019. The property was then marketed for sale, with a hope for a faith-based buyer, through several different avenues including a closed bid process.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the facilities were shut down to the public in July 2020. A skeleton crew of staff kept the facilities viable, though the buildings were showing age and lack of use. The largest users of White Oak, SummerSalt and KidSalt, were relocated to Charleston Southern University, a ministry partner of the SCBC, in the summer of 2021.

At the end of the closed bid period, a viable buyer surfaced. The first quarter of 2022 has been spent in negotiation and due diligence. The convention has now confirmed that White Oak Conference Center has been sold to the Seventh District of the A.M.E. Church. Its new owners will refer to it as the Vision Center and plan to continue using it for ministry purposes. The property, including timberland north of the facility, and buildings sold for a little more than $2,000,000.