A Lighthouse on Highway 414
Ebenezer Welcome Baptist Church sits along Highway 414 in Landrum, South Carolina, where it has long served the small community known in local memory as the "Darkcorner." The church describes itself as a Christ-centered, Bible-based fellowship, and it casts itself in the language of an old landmark: a lighthouse beaming the love of Christ to that corner of the upstate. Pastor Vince Gainey leads a congregation that holds firmly to the Southern Baptist Convention's Faith and Message, partners with the Three Rivers Baptist Association and the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and gives through the Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, Janie Chapman, and Cooperative Program missions offerings.
The welcome center is a practical starting point. Visitors who stop in can pick up a weekly bulletin and calendar, get oriented to the morning schedule, and find out what is ahead in the life of the church. The church's stated hope is that anyone who comes to worship will be touched by the love of Christ and drawn by the Holy Spirit into a life-changing, everlasting relationship with the Savior.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School and Worship
The Sunday rhythm begins at 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School for every age, from preschool through senior adults. Classes meet in separate classrooms and are organized for preschoolers, children, middle school and senior high students, college students, young adults, women, men, and coed groups. The preschool and children's workers describe their work as laying biblical foundations so that children can one day accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord and develop a growing relationship with Him. Children's classes, taught by volunteers, are designed to help kids know that following Christ is an exciting and important decision that will forever change their lives.
At 11:00 a.m., the congregation gathers for the main Sunday worship service. Adult Bible study for middle school and high school students meets at the same hour under the name Student Bible Study, with a focus on reaching, developing, and equipping students to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. College students have their own class during the Sunday School hour as a kind of oasis away from the college routine, a time to hear God's Word and gain insight to help shape their future.
Senior Adults, called "a treasure" by the church, are said to magnify Christ by developing meaningful relationships and assisting to strengthen the church in service. The Adult Sunday School ministry as a whole describes its purpose as knowing God not only in the mind but in the heart, and as providing leadership, presence, gifts, and service in and beyond the church walls.
AWANA on Sunday Nights
At 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings during the school year, the church runs AWANA clubs that run until 6:30 p.m. The acronym AWANA comes from the first letters of "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed," taken from 2 Timothy 2:15. The program is described as balancing games with scripture memory and scripture-related activities to provide an entertaining yet instructive ninety minutes for children.
The clubs serve a wide age range. Cubbies is the preschool club for girls and boys ages three to five, with the requirement that children be three by August 1. Sparks, for kindergarten through second grade, builds on Cubbies material and aims to take youngsters a step deeper into God's Word and allow them to hear the gospel and come to faith in Jesus Christ. Truth and Training serves third through fifth graders and teaches them the truth of God's Word and trains them to follow Christ in their daily lives. Trek and Journey is the AWANA program for middle and high school students in grades six through twelve, designed to let students wrestle with three of the most important questions they are asking and to dive deep into the Scriptures through verse memorization and study so they can own their faith and discover what they believe. Nursery care is provided for children up to 23 months old, with the note that nursery care is for workers' children only.
Wednesday Evenings
On Wednesday nights at 6:45 p.m., the church gathers for a midweek service. The Wednesday evening hour is one of the regular weekly touchpoints of the church, alongside Sunday morning worship and the AWANA clubs, and serves as a focal point for prayer, Bible teaching, and fellowship through the week.
Children and Youth
The Children's Ministry serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade and aims to see children transformed in Christ, to help them connect with God, grow in their faith, and begin to share their faith with family, friends, and the world. Leaders are described as having a passion for children and loving to teach the foundations of the faith in age-appropriate, biblically sound, and fun ways.
The Youth Ministry covers sixth through twelfth grade and encourages students to crave a deeper relationship with Christ. Through friendships, worship, Bible study, prayer, service, and just hanging out, the ministry seeks to build strong connections to other students and to God and to put faith into action every day. The student ministry is tailored to be relevant to unchurched students, exciting to all, and spiritually transforming. Parents are routinely invited to participate alongside their students, as in events like True Love Waits, an international Christian movement that promotes modesty and abstinence outside of marriage for teenagers.
Women, Seniors, and the Family Mission Center
The Women's Ministry and the Seniors Ministry, whose group is called YAH (Young at Heart), give adults two parallel tracks for fellowship and service. The church is also home to the Family Mission Center, a facility that God has given to the community in the words of the church itself. Senior adults to the youngest members enjoy many activities in this building, including worship services, community outreach, AWANA clubs, a ladies fitness program, inside walkers, and singings. The prayer for the Family Mission Center is that it will always be used to bring glory to God and to further kingdom growth.
Prison Ministry and Missions
The Prison Ministry shares the hope of the gospel and Christ's forgiveness through cards, visitation, and prayer. As one example, 110 prisoner packets were delivered to the Three Rivers Baptist Association office in November to go to those incarcerated, organized by Theresa and her helper Pam, so that those who receive them can know that Jesus loves them and so do the churches participating.
The church supports and encourages giving to several mission causes: the International Mission Board through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Send Relief for the Global Hunger offering and disaster response, the North American Mission Board through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Send Relief, and the South Carolina Baptist Convention through the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering and the Cooperative Program. Week of Prayer guides for each of these offerings are part of the yearly rhythm.
Sermons and the Life Journal Reading Plan
New sermons are available immediately on the church's Facebook page, with livestreaming also taking place there.
The church also promotes a one-year Bible reading plan known as the Life Journal Plan. Produced by Life Journal and hosted by Blue Letter Bible, the plan reads through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in one calendar year, with daily assignments for each date from January through December. Visitors can follow the plan as a personal devotional rhythm alongside the church's teaching.
Beliefs and Affiliations
Ebenezer Welcome adheres to the Southern Baptist Convention's Faith and Message, the confession of faith maintained by that denomination. The church's own mission statement describes it as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ who demonstrate their love for Him and others by proclaiming the good news of salvation through the resurrected Jesus Christ; nurturing Christian growth and service through worship, teaching, training, and fellowship; meeting physical and spiritual needs of individuals and families in the congregation, community, and around the world; and praising God as a praying body, seeking and doing God's will in one accord.
The church cooperates with the Three Rivers Baptist Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. It also links to the Baptist Courier, the official newspaper of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and to resources like the North American Mission Board's Gospel Coach, an AI-powered simulation tool designed to help Christians practice real-world evangelism skills.
The People
Pastor Vince Gainey leads the congregation and can be reached through the church office. Nicole Kemp serves as Interim Worship Leader, and Tim Crain serves as Sunday School Director. Gloria O'Neal is the church secretary, and Norman and Shelby Capps handle maintenance. The church office is open at 864-895-1461, and the secretary can be reached at secretary@EbenezerWelcome.com. Sunday School correspondence goes to sundayschool@EbenezerWelcome.com, and pastoral correspondence can go to pastor@EbenezerWelcome.com.
Despite the rich past that the church points to, the leadership's posture is forward-facing. As the welcome message puts it, the church believes its best days are still ahead, and visitors are invited to be part of God's vision for the great things He has in store for Ebenezer Welcome in the days ahead.