Burger King's recent closing in Varnville, South Carolina, was the clearest sign yet that the local economy is less than vibrant.
But despite the loss of the franchise fast-food restaurant and other dismal economic indicators following the repeated downsizing of Westinghouse, the town's major employer, First Baptist Church continued over the last five years to increase its giving to missions through the Cooperative Program from 10 percent to 15 percent.
The Cooperative Program is the way Southern Baptist churches provide for missions and ministry in state conventions, across North America, and throughout the world.
"God has blessed our church even in tough economic times," said Thomas Kelly Jr., pastor of First Varnville. "It's just a testimony: if you're faithful to God, He will be faithful to you.
"The Cooperative Program helps us do more than we could do by ourselves," Kelly continued. "We tell our folks that the money they give doesn't affect just right here in the church. It affects the community and all around the world, that people will come to know Christ."
The Hampton County town of a declining population—now said to be 1,912 individuals—was already going through hard economic times seventeen years ago, when Kelly was called in 1994 to serve as pastor of a church that averaged one hundred in Sunday morning worship. The recent economic downturn has compounded the struggles many in the community face each day.
"The first year, our receipts were so bad that we did an analysis of our spending," Kelly said. "We cut all programs 50 percent and no staff raises, but we never went below 10 percent in CP giving. Ever since then, when times have gotten bad, I go back to that point where we as a church said, 'We are going to give to missions. No matter what, we are not going to give less than 10 percent to the Cooperative Program.'"
Anxiety and frustration are constant companions to townspeople—and an undercurrent even for church members these days, Kelly said.
"It's really an uncertain time for a lot of folks," the pastor said. "This, a lot of time, breeds fear, because people don't know if they'll have a job. The tendency for many is they want to hold onto their money, but when they see something positive happening with God, they're more prone to give."
One of the things townspeople are seeing is that First Varnville has taken the lead in providing a pre-game meal for high school football players, something the school district no longer could afford to do. Kelly coordinates this.
"People see this, see that we're reaching young people and that we're putting money back in the local economy by buying the food for the meals at the local grocery store," the pastor said. "We have teenagers going to church on Friday for the pre-game meal who would not be in church any other time, and hearing the Gospel."
South Carolina is perhaps the hardest-hit economically of all the states in the southern US, but its state convention, like many others that cooperate with the SBC, continues to make funding the ministries of the SBC a priority.
State leaders across the nation view churches like First Varnville as the backbone of support for cooperative ministries at both the state convention and national convention levels. Testimonies abound of churches like First Varnville that have made a commitment to be faithful to God and have seen God's faithfulness in return.
First Varnville now has about two hundred people in Sunday morning worship, at either an 8:50 a.m. contemporary service or an 11 a.m. traditional service. A part-time praise and worship leader and a full-time minister of children and youth have been added to the staff.
The facilities have expanded too. The church has two new parking lots, a recreation complex complete with ballfield and concession stand, and a house next door purchased to provide added education space. It also constructed a commercial kitchen to provide pre-game and other community and church meals, "and we don't owe anybody anything," Kelly said.
"We have the parents of one career IMB missionary and the grandparents of a short-term missionary in the church," he continued. "We see a need to give to the Cooperative Program from that, but we also see a need in other things—starting in our local community, and in our state."
Cooperative Program Receipts Forwarded to the Ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention
(CP distribution amounts are from the SBC fiscal year, October 2010-September 2011; other numbers are from the 2010 Annual Church Profile)
ALABAMA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $18,102,416.48
Number of Churches: 3,246
Number of Baptisms: 19,936
ALASKA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $227,174.42
Number of Churches: 81
Number of Baptisms: 513
ARIZONA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $805,381.76
Number of Churches: 356
Number of Baptisms: 2,258
ARKANSAS
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $8,608,795.23
Number of Churches: 1,433
Number of Baptisms: 12,473
CALIFORNIA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $2,029,144.44
Number of Churches: 1,664
Number of Baptisms: 14,377
COLORADO
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $622,002.92
Number of Churches: 270
Number of Baptisms: 1,452
DAKOTA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $45,235.80
Number of Churches: 72
Number of Baptisms: 187
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $37,699.01
Number of Churches: 131
Number of Baptisms: 298
FLORIDA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $12,696,488.52
Number of Churches: 2,390
Number of Baptisms: 46,937
GEORGIA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $17,316,108.33
Number of Churches: 3,272
Number of Baptisms: 29,672
HAWAII-PACIFIC
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $379,587.08
Number of Churches: 100
Number of Baptisms: 568
ILLINOIS
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $2,417,367.58
Number of Churches: 963
Number of Baptisms: 4,972
INDIANA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $937,892.69
Number of Churches: 379
Number of Baptisms: 2,877
IOWA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $98,787.21
Number of Churches: 94
Number of Baptisms: 536
KANSAS-NEBRASKA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $606,866.86
Number of Churches: 313
Number of Baptisms: 2,337
KENTUCKY
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $8,520,432.23
Number of Churches: 2,463
Number of Baptisms: 15,762
LOUISIANA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $8,265,432.62
Number of Churches: 1,455
Number of Baptisms: 10,922
MARYLAND-DELAWARE
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $1,786,370.32
Number of Churches: 454
Number of Baptisms: 2,200
MICHIGAN
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $551,434.83
Number of Churches: 253
Number of Baptisms: 1,251
MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $60,227.72
Number of Churches: 119
Number of Baptisms: 692
MISSISSIPPI
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $11,510,624.14
Number of Churches: 2,082
Number of Baptisms: 12,690
MISSOURI
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $5,524,149.58
Number of Churches: 1,922
Number of Baptisms: 9,943
MONTANA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $103,394.97
Number of Churches: 116
Number of Baptisms: 581
NEVADA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $263,274.87
Number of Churches: 158
Number of Baptisms: 1,449
NEW ENGLAND
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $106,163.81
Number of Churches: 235
Number of Baptisms: 1,507
NEW MEXICO
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $1,060,760.16
Number of Churches: 316
Number of Baptisms: 2,690
NEW YORK
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $221,045.89
Number of Churches: 353
Number of Baptisms: 1,409
NORTH CAROLINA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $10,460,352.42
Number of Churches: 4,097
Number of Baptisms: 23,545
NORTHWEST
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $671,950.56
Number of Churches: 409
Number of Baptisms: 2,143
OHIO
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $1,721,278.96
Number of Churches: 578
Number of Baptisms: 4,165
OKLAHOMA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $10,067,046.92
Number of Churches: 1,714
Number of Baptisms: 13,281
PENNSYLVANIA-SOUTH JERSEY
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $201,395.49
Number of Churches: 338
Number of Baptisms: 3,475
SOUTH CAROLINA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $11,881,780.74
Number of Churches: 2,112
Number of Baptisms: 16,327
TENNESSEE
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $14,913,745.00
Number of Churches: 3,037
Number of Baptisms: 21,032
TEXAS (BGCT)
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $12,362,618.99
Number of Churches: 4,381
Number of Baptisms: 35,780
TEXAS (SBTC)
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $14,064,961.10
Number of Churches: 2,196
Number of Baptisms: 21,609
UTAH-IDAHO
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $176,238.73
Number of Churches: 129
Number of Baptisms: 688
VIRGINIA (BGAV)
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $1,934,385.13
Number of Churches: 1,337
Number of Baptisms: 6,989
VIRGINIA (SBCV)
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $4,374,842.04
Number of Churches: 566
Number of Baptisms: 5,900
WEST VIRGINIA
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $482,306.14
Number of Churches: 187
Number of Baptisms: 818
WYOMING
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $162,295.73
Number of Churches: 86
Number of Baptisms: 392
PUERTO RICO-VIRGIN ISLANDS
CP distributed from the state to SBC Entities: $6,579.00
Number of Churches: 51
Number of Baptisms: 272
