Missions Ministry
We believe mission involvement is the natural result of a real faith. When our hearts are filled by God, we naturally want to share God’s love with others.
Every person has a mission and their own place to serve. Finding a place of service and becoming the presence of Christ to others is the first step in building the kind of relationships that will take Christ’s love to the world.
Following Christ’s command to “Go therefore and make disciples,” our church supports missions through our praying, our serving, our going, and our giving. Below is a sampling of ways our congregation works to serve and share with people and communities in need.
FBCL Missions
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BackPack MinistryList Item 2
The Backpack Ministry is a partnership with Laurens District 55 that provides non-perishable food to students who might otherwise go hungry over the weekend. Each week, 77 students at Laurens Elementary School are discretely provided a bag that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks — meals that, for many, are a lifeline until they return to school on Monday.
This ministry operates entirely outside our church's annual budget and depends on the generosity of our church family and community. Food is a basic need, and in this case, it’s also a true blessing.
One backpack costs just $25 a month.
If you feel called to support The BackPack Ministry financially, please use the link below to make a contribution online. If you'd like to be a part of this ministry of hope in other ways, please contact the church office for more information.
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Care, Compassion & Connection (C3)List Item 3
The C3 Committee provides Care, Compassion and Connection to all ages of our congregation. Members of C3 are tasked with visiting, sending cards, delivering food, or a simple phone call to those who are grieving, sick, hospitlized or homebound.
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Handyman Ministry
From time to time, we are called upon to assist with projects in our church or community. These are often simple, one day projects that can be completed by a small group. As projects arise, our Missions Committee Chair assigns the task to the list of willing volunteers.
Local Mission Partnerships
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C4 Laurens CountyList Item 1
What does C4 stand for? Christ-Centered. Crisis Assistance. Care. Counseling.
First Baptist Church Laurens is a partner of C4 Lauerns County (formerly Family Promise of Laurens County). There is a broad range of volunteer opportunities including providing meals, fulfilling wish lists and helping to raise awareness in our community. Please consider supporting this important ministry.
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Straight Street Youth CenterList Item 4
The mission of Straight Street is to provide at-risk youth a safe, warm, loving environment while planting the seeds of faith. They serve over 100 youth every Friday and Saturday night from 7-11. Straight Street is equipped with pool tables, ping pong tables, board games, 2 gaming stations, air hockey and a basketball court. Each night, they provide a short devotion for the youth that may include a life lesson, a personal testimony or just a good Bible Story they can apply to their lives. If you'd like to learn more or volunteer, contact Keri Tumbin.
International Missions
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UPDATE: Guatemala Mission Trip
We’ve received an important update from Jorge Garcia, the Missions Director at Child Beyond International, the organization we're partnering with for the mission trip to Guatemala. Based on this new information, we are considering the possibility of postponing our trip.
The Guatemalan government has recently imposed new restrictions and regulations for missional medical clinics. Unfortunately, working with the government can be challenging, as they often implement new rules that seem aimed at extracting additional fees from organizations like theirs.
While Child Beyond International has submitted all the required paperwork to comply with these new regulations, there is no clear timeline for when the government will grant approval. Jorge is hopeful that approval might come by April or May, but given the unpredictable nature of the process, he suggested that we consider rescheduling our trip to allow sufficient time for the government to finalize their decision.
Jorge is committed to ensuring the medical clinic remains a central part of our mission, and he believes that postponing the trip to June, July, or August would give us the best chance to carry out the work we’ve planned.
We will keep you all updates as more information is learned. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate this process!
Please contact Adair Rogers with any questions.
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Mission Trip to GuatemalaList Item 1
We are planning our first mission trip to San Cristobal, Guatemala!
Located in San Cristobal, Guatemala, Child Beyond International started as an orphanage intended to provide essential care and love to the local children. They quickly identified ways to help families that lack basic necessities by building homes and providing water filters and cooking stoves. A couple of years later, they began providing mobile medical and dental clinics in the villages nearby. All while sharing God's love.
While there, we will:
- Build a 20x20 wood frame home built on a slab with a concrete porch on the front. (They will pour the slab before we arrive.)
- Lead a Vacation Bible School for the children in the surrounding area
- Minister to the children in the children’s home
- Conduct mobile medical/dental/vision clinics (depending on what medical professionals are able to go with us)
- Help with other needed projects identified by Child Beyond International
Anticipated cost of the trip will be between $1,300 - $1,600 per person (exact price of the flight is unknown but typically ranges from $600-$900). Total trip cost will include the flight, lodging, food, transportation and interpreters.
Contact Adair Rogers with any questions.
NOTE: VALID PASSPORT IS REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL