Cameron Wooten had always been passionate about international opportunities in South Carolina, especially in the Upstate area.

He had been working closely with one of the churches in Spartanburg, along with SCBaptist staff, to bring a Chinese pastor with the North American Mission Board into the Upstate to reach out to Chinese and East Asians in the area.

“It’s a great partnership because he’s on staff with this local church and is starting his church out of that church,” Wooten explained. “It’s in conjunction with NAMB, the State Convention, and their association. It’s a really great example of partnership with the Convention and the Cooperative Program.”

Wooten expressed how important it is to reach out to people from different countries who are living in South Carolina, as they could potentially return to their home country and spread the Word of God there.

“If our heart is going to be broken for people in a country across the ocean, it should be broken for those same people from that country that are right here with us,” Wooten said. “It’s a strategic heart because many of the ones who will be returning one day will be the ones God uses to reach the people in their country. It’s not going to be us going there, it’s going to be the locals who find Jesus here whose spirit begins to burn in them and go back to their country.”

Wooten said he was proud of the partnership they had created with the Chinese pastor and the local church in Spartanburg. He knew that it was just the beginning of the many opportunities to come for spreading the Word of God to those in the Upstate area, as well as around the world.