Unity Baptist Church sits on Fairview Road in Simpsonville, South Carolina, in the heart of Greenville County. A Southern Baptist congregation associated with the Greenville Baptist Association, Unity Baptist describes itself as a growing church family with a place for everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Two Sunday morning worship services bookend an hour of Sunday School, and a full slate of midweek and weekday ministries keep the building busy throughout the week.
Sunday Mornings on Fairview Road
Sunday at Unity Baptist follows a steady rhythm. A blended worship service opens the day at 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. After the first service, classes for every age meet for Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. Adults dig into a shared curriculum while children gather in their own classes. A second blended worship service follows at 11:00 a.m.
Worship services are blended, weaving together traditional and contemporary elements, and the congregational singing is supported by a praise team that rehearses each Wednesday night. Services are also livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.
Wednesday Nights: BLAST, Youth, and Adult Study
Wednesday evenings are the busiest night of the week at Unity Baptist. The evening opens at 5:30 p.m. with the Intercessory Prayer Team meeting, followed by a kids' meal in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., three studies run in parallel. BLAST, the children's ministry for ages 3 through 6th grade, teaches kids to know, love, and serve Christ. The youth group, for 6th grade and up, meets in the Fellowship Hall for Bible study, doctrine, application, and apologetics. An interactive adult Bible study meets in the Sanctuary, working through one or two chapters of a selected book at a time.
At 7:30 p.m., after the studies end, the praise team gathers for practice. The Wednesday children's and youth programs follow the Greenville County School District schedule, so when schools are closed, those ministries pause for the week.
Children, Youth, and the Next Generation
Unity Baptist takes a deliberate interest in the next generation. Sunday School classes for children run alongside the adult classes at 10:00 a.m., and a children's program called Kids for Jesus meets during the 11:00 a.m. service. The Nursery is available during both Sunday morning services. BLAST, the Wednesday children's ministry, begins with a shared meal in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 p.m. and continues with teaching from 6:30 p.m.
Youth Leader David August oversees a volunteer team that includes Benji Raines for high school students and Julian Jackson for middle school students, with Rhonda and Michael Thompson leading the Sunday middle school class and Katie George overseeing a Sunday girls' Bible study and the Wednesday programming. The youth group meets Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. during Sunday School and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Annual permission forms cover activities throughout the calendar year, and students are encouraged to serve in the worship team, nursery, and summer Vacation Bible School.
Men's and Women's Ministries
The men's ministry meets each Sunday evening at 6:45 p.m. at a restaurant on S.E. Main Street in Simpsonville, walking through books of the Bible chapter by chapter with food and fellowship. The men also gather for scheduled work days around the church, beginning with a large breakfast.
The women's ministry has worked through inductive Bible studies by Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, and Priscilla Shirer, and has studied books of the Bible on its own. Three small groups meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings and on Friday mornings, with annual simulcasts and fellowship events. Information for the women's groups is available through unitybaptistwomen@gmail.com.
Prayer and Pastoral Care
Prayer is woven through the life of the church. The CARE Prayer Ministry meets every Sunday at 5:30 p.m. to pray for the needs of the congregation, and the Intercessory Prayer Team gathers Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Anyone can submit a prayer request, choosing whether it stays private, is shared with the pastors, or is opened up to the wider church family.
Senior Pastor Larry Ledford is available by phone at (864) 390-9283 and by email at larry@ubc-online.com. The church office is open Mondays from noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m., and can be reached at (864) 399-9283.
What Unity Baptist Believes
Unity Baptist's Statement of Faith centers on the Bible as the inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word of God and the final authority for faith and life. The church confesses one God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaches that every person is born in sin and in need of reconciliation.
Salvation, the church teaches, comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Virgin-born Son who became man without ceasing to be God, and is received as a free gift by faith alone, through grace alone. Unity Baptist looks for the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead, and sees the church as His bride, called in the power of the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations until He comes.
Getting Connected and Giving
Visitors looking to get involved can find a place in Sunday School, men's or women's small groups, the youth program, BLAST, the music ministry, or the prayer teams. New families are invited to fill out a brief connection form so the ministry team can follow up.
Giving is available online through a donation portal, and checks or cash can be mailed to the P.O. Box 80683, Simpsonville, SC 29680. The mailing address is preferred over the street address for gifts.