COLUMBIA, S.C. — When the doors opened at 9:30 a.m., the crowd of international teachers hurried in. Madel Patal, who had been waiting since 5:30 a.m., went straight to the painting she had spotted through the glass doors hours before. Volunteers helped her claim it and later delivered it to her new apartment with her furniture.

“I never dreamed I would be able to own something like this,” she said. “Paintings in the Philippines are very expensive, and I could not bring any art with me. I will think of your kindness every time I look at it.”

Madel was one of 117 teachers welcomed at the Richland 2 school district’s fifth annual International Teacher Housewarming, where Shandon Baptist Church and the Columbia Metro Baptist Association joined with local churches to surround newcomers with care. Send Relief Serve Tour volunteers came alongside as personal shoppers, loaders and delivery drivers, helping teachers select furniture and making sure every item made it home.

Many of the teachers had only just arrived in South Carolina’s capital city, bringing little more than two suitcases, yet they left with beds, dishes and reminders that they were not alone.

One teacher from Mexico had been sleeping on a camping mattress until the event provided him with a real bed. A family from the Philippines had landed at midnight and still showed up by 7:30 a.m. to join the line.

Allison Miller, who helped lead the event, said, “The day was full of hugs, tears, smiles, sighs of relief and sincere gratitude. Today is just the beginning of ongoing relationships for the sake of the gospel.”

Churches serving side by side

This was just one of 47 compassion projects powered by Send Relief’s Serve Tour in Columbia, a two-day outreach that brought together 1,008 volunteers from 80 churches across 14 states. The effort was hosted in partnership with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the Columbia Metro and Lexington Baptist associations, and Send Relief.

Volunteers served 4,750 people, held 830 gospel conversations and saw 67 people give their lives to Christ.

New life in an old neighborhood

At Palmetto Life Church, a new congregation preparing to launch next month in Columbia’s oldest neighborhood, Serve Tour volunteers helped ready the building by planting a palmetto tree, preparing the children’s area and reconfiguring rooms to be more welcoming.

“This neighborhood has been called Columbia’s front porch,” said Pastor Matthew Phillips. “It is the oldest neighborhood in the city, and while many are seeking new things through regentrification, what people truly need is new life. Palmetto Life Church exists to point people to the only one who can give that life; for Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”

Grill walk answers prayers

Serve Tour teams also joined local churches in hosting six neighborhood grill walks in the pouring rain, meeting families in communities where needs are great with a warm meal and prayer.

At one grill walk, a grandmother shared that she had prayed the night before for someone to come and tell her and her grandson about Jesus. The very next day, volunteers knocked on her door, and both placed their trust in Christ.

At another, a woman heard the gospel from volunteers and came to faith. Right away, she went to get her friend, brought her back to hear the gospel from the volunteers, and her friend also accepted Christ.

In yet another neighborhood, a young man responded to the gospel after years of his parents praying for him. When he chose to give his life to Christ, his father, who is fighting cancer, was given the joy of leading him in prayer.

“I’ll be honest, when I first heard about grill walks, I thought it was a gimmick. It sounded like the most Southern Baptist gimmick ever,” said Jarrian “JayWill” Wilson, founding pastor of City of Refuge Church. “But doing one showed me. It showed me how hospitality really does open up doors for the gospel. Conversations we never could have had happened because of these burgers and us knocking on doors.”

In all, 58 individuals placed their trust in Christ through Serve Tour grill walks.

At a busy flea market, another Serve Tour project in partnership with Kittiwake Baptist Church set up a prayer station and distributed more than 250 New Testaments. Eight people accepted Christ before the team had to request more Bibles.

Reaching the next generation

Serve Tour volunteers assisted Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) at the University of South Carolina (USC) in moving 84 international students from 28 countries into USC dorms, expanded the stage at the BCM building, painted the exterior and prepared a shrimp boil for more than 250 students.

Shandon Baptist Church hosted a country-themed outreach party where hundreds of students connected with new friends and the local church. Even the USC mascot joined in. More than 30 international students attended, most of whom returned the next day for a BCM event.

Steve Turner, Shandon’s college pastor, said, “Because of the connections made, we are now able to build relationships to share the gospel. It was a remarkable event that will have gospel impact all school year.”

More than a weekend

For two days, volunteers served throughout the city at schools, church plants, a hospital, a nursing home, a block party and more.

South Carolina Disaster Relief served a barbecue dinner to volunteers to close out the weekend.

“No act of love is insignificant. God uses every act of love done in Jesus’ name,” Sammy Simmons, Send Relief’s national project director, told the crowd.

Tony Wolfe, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, thanked the many churches, associations and partners who served together and challenged everyone to carry the momentum forward.

“This weekend was not the finish line,” said Wolfe. “It was the starting line. God gave us bold compassion to meet needs and share Christ, and that does not stop here.”

(EDITOR’S  NOTE — DeeDee Adams writes for Send Relief.)