It began with vision and a $12 donation from E.R. Eller in 1972. 

Now in May 2004 as White Oak Conference Center celebrates its 25th anniversary, the center services more than 20,000 guests each year on a budget of nearly 2 million dollars.

The conference center opened in May 1979 after approval to build was given at the 1976 Annual Meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

The success of White Oak Conference Center lies mainly in the sacrificial giving of SC Baptists through the Cooperative Program and their participation through conferences, retreats and camps.

Today White Oak serves as a setting for a number of activities including youth camps, business meetings and retreats.  Facilities at White Oak include a group house, three motels, cafeteria, auditorium, lecture hall, classroom building, swimming pool and 30 acre lake stocked with bass, bream and catfish. 

“Not only is White Oak a beautiful place, but the people who work there have beautiful spirits.  It's very clear there is a God who loves us when you look out over the lake, walk through the woods, or see the smiles of the people who work and serve there,” Kimberly Terry, who worked as Summersalt staff at White Oak for six summers, said.   

Over the past 25 years of White Oak’s existence, some have said that an experience at the conference center impacted their lives.

“One thing is for sure.  I have always viewed White Oak as ‘holy ground.’  When you drive on to that campus, the memories and expectations are very uplifting,” Jamie Williams, youth minister at First Church Moncks Corner, said.

Angela Dowless, SCBC Youth Ministry associate director, attended youth camp at White Oak in 1989.  “It was there that God called me into ministry,” Dowless said.  “White Oak has been a special place to me for many summers, and it will always bring fond memories.” 

As she works in youth ministry at the convention, Dowless continues to spend summers at White Oak as she helps lead Summersalt, an evangelistic five-day youth camp.

The Summersalt camp leader and SCBC Youth Ministry director, Steve Rohrlack, also has a special appreciation for White Oak.  “One strength of White Oak Conference Center is that you can take kids out of their element, away from distractions and maybe for the first time to a place where they can spend an extended period of time focusing on their relationships with Jesus Christ,” Rohrlack said.

Lee Clamp, youth minister at First Church Barnwell, agrees that “White Oak Conference Center has provided an excellent retreat setting for Summersalt youth camp.”  Clamp reported that one of the students in his group was very active in church activities but was saved at White Oak when she realized that “she had been a fake for several years.”  Another cheerleader and quarterback from First Church Barnwell decided to use their athletics as a platform to share the Gospel after attending camp at the conference center. 

Other events booked annually at White Oak include youth and children’s music camps.  Jim Gill, SCBC director of Music and Creative Worship, has used White Oak since its beginning and was actually part of the first group to use the center.  Twenty five years ago, Gill and the Music and Creative Worship Group booked White Oak for the first Baptist All-State Band and Chorus. 

“We have seen countless lives of youth and children blessed and impacted because of the events held at White Oak. Numerous music directors, choir members and accompanists are serving our churches because of the training they received there,” Gill said.

According to Jamie Williams, music camp at White Oak has shaped students lives.  Several youth from First Church Moncks Corner attended one of the music camps and are now in college pursuing music degrees, he said.

Other special events at White Oak Conference Center include the Hispanic Evangelism Conference, Joy Retreat, Senior Adult Retreat and Choir Festivals, and training events for children’s workers, deacons and Disaster Relief volunteers.

 Throughout the years, White Oak has continued to grow and improve services to guests.  Since 1982, two motels, classroom building and auditorium have been added to the landscape. 

The most recent construction was completed in 2003 and was an addition to the classroom building.  The new area features a 230 seat lecture hall with the latest in audio visual equipment.  The addition to the building included two large classrooms and two regular classrooms.

The future of White Oak will include camps, meetings and retreats, but most importantly the conference center will continue to be a special place where lives are changed.