Rock Hill’s demographics were changing, and Scott Davis, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, recognized it as an opportunity to reach an increasingly diverse and growing population for Christ.

Through the York Baptist Association (YBA), Davis connected with Pastor P, a convert to Christianity who immigrated from the Middle East.  

For the past several years, churches within the YBA have partnered with Pastor P’s church in the Middle East, funding programs that provide food, medical care, and education to those in need. SCBaptist churches also sent teams on mission trips in the Middle East. “In doing that, they became more and more aware of the Muslims and Arab people that we have in our own back door,” Mike Wallace, Associational Mission Strategist at YBA, said. This launched an intentional effort to train and equip churches to reach their Muslim and Arab neighbors in the Upstate.  

Through the YBA and the Arab Outreach Ministry Team, made up of five churches within York County, Pastor P obtained a Visa and came to the United States to begin a Muslim-Arab outreach effort. Churches across the association supported Pastor P, such as First Baptist Rock Hill, who provided a house for him to live in. 

Reaching People for Christ

The goal of the Muslim-Arab outreach in York is to build relationships through one-on-one and small group settings with as many people as possible. They also hope to establish an Arabic-speaking church plant where different communities come together in formal worship settings. “We want our people to be aware of the fact that the world is coming here. The Gospel transcends cultures, languages, and expectations. It is the power of God unto salvation,” Wallace said.  

To see this unity take place, Wallace and Pastor P have developed a program for York Baptist churches. In this program, church members move through what Wallace describes as a “funnel.” At first, church members become familiarized with the Muslim culture and beliefs, learning to see their Muslim brothers and sisters as people who need the Gospel as much as any other person. Then, Pastor P and Wallace encourage those church members to seek opportunities to interact with their Muslim neighbors in the community. “It is about multiplying the work and teaching churches to grow in awareness for the people they rub elbows with every day,” Wallace said.  

To date, eight churches have participated in formal training. Topics include teaching the basics of Islam, how to navigate Gospel conversations, and cultural cues to consider. Because of his background, Pastor P’s testimony provided powerful credibility. “He wasn’t teaching you from a book; he was teaching you from personal experience,” Davis said. 

That training has led to meaningful conversations. To Davis’ surprise, the people he engaged with were ready to discuss their faith. “I’ve not been around Christians who were so eager to talk about their faith,” Davis said. Pastor P echoed this, saying, “They are waiting for somebody to share the Gospel with them. They just want somebody from the local church to talk to them and to show them the love of Christ in a simple way.”  

Making a Difference

They have already seen evidence that building relationships and sharing the Gospel has been effective. Five people of Islamic background have come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior so far and are being actively discipled in SCBaptist churches. Wallace emphasized that though the work may seem slow, it is sure.  

“As our churches become trained and begin to gain a heart and a burden for Muslim people, then we’re going to watch that work just grow exponentially,” Wallace said. For Davis, partnering with other churches has greatly impacted their efforts. “The truth is, in a small church like ours, we may not be able to sustain any local outreach by ourselves,” he said. “So, the opportunity that we’ve had as an association of churches to be able to bring Pastor P here as a strategist and a specialist is not something that my church would’ve been able to do on its own.”  

This growing movement of awareness and engagement has been made possible, in part, through the generosity of South Carolina Baptists giving to the Janie Chapman Offering. Wallace and the YBA have been recipients of several grants through the offering to directly fund missions work. “We couldn’t be more pleased with how beautiful this offering is and the way it helps us do what God’s called us to do in our local context,” Wallace said. Davis shared that this is the first time he has personally witnessed the tangible results of the offering. “We’ve seen things happening around the state but not necessarily affecting us. It’s been a joy to be on the receiving end as we support this ministry, and it encourages us even more to give to the Janie Chapman Offering,” he said.  

As demographics across South Carolina continue to shift, churches across the state are choosing to see opportunities to reach the nations in their backyards. Through training, partnership, and personal relationships, churches in the YBA are joining in a growing Gospel movement among their Muslim and Arab neighbors. “Pray that God will give us more open doors, more opportunities to approach more Arabs and Muslims, and also to find people that have the heart for Arabs and Muslims in this area,” Pastor P said. As that prayer is answered, the Gospel is advancing—one conversation at a time.