Over one weekend, SCBaptists served alongside four different church plants in New York City in partnership with the New York Metro Baptist Association.

Known as Misson Manhattan, the weekend-long project provided an opportunity for outreach and building relationships to advance the Gospel.

In the heart of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, One Community Church (OCC) hosted an event called “Summer in the Winter,” aimed at reaching out to families in their community. Despite facing challenges such as heavy rain, the church plant and volunteers adapted, demonstrating their commitment to serving rain-soaked communities.

Summer in the Winter

OCC volunteer Steffanie Peterson said, “We are super excited to do events like this so we can reach our community and reach our families, especially those families who don’t know Jesus.” Peterson shared that many of the families who would be present that day had never heard the Gospel, let alone seen a Bible. 

“Through the generosity of South Carolina Baptists, at this event, every family is leaving with a Bible,” Peterson said. As they left, each family was provided with a Bible in English or Spanish. Peterson expressed how grateful she was that SCBaptists helped meet a tangible need of the families in their community.

Through the generous support of SCBaptists, a missions grant was provided to the Metro New York Baptist Association to fund the outreach weekend. This financial assistance enabled the churches to provide resources like Bibles, food, and other necessities to the communities they served.

Collaborating to Serve

The event fostered not only outreach activities in areas across the city but also meaningful conversations and connections. “It’s conversations like these, along with prayer, that form lasting relationships and connections between us,” George Russ, Executive Director of MNYBA, said. “I look forward to more opportunities to partner together for the advance of the Gospel here in Metro NYC.” 

Over in Jamaica, Queens, New Song of Hope Church served warm meals at a local shelter. “We have three asylum seekers shelters in our neighborhood that house the asylum seekers that have come up here from Texas,” Kendal Adamson said. Justin and Kendal Adamson are planting the church, sharing the Gospel through discipleship efforts and ESL ministry.

Thanks to SCBaptists

Homer Reeves, member of Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Taylors, SC, also serves on the board of the MNYBA. He said he was encouraged to see Brushy Creek volunteers step beyond county and state boundaries. The team partnered with DoXa Church to reach out and engage the local community, asking how the church could meet needs in the area. Reeves wanted to share with SCBaptists that “the sacrifices and growing investment you make here in NYC are noticed, greatly appreciated, and making a difference!”

From Harlem to Queens, from Manhattan’s financial district to Hell’s Kitchen, the message was clear: the support, prayers, and generosity of South Carolina Baptists are making a tangible difference in communities far from home.