Dayspring and BibleQuest at St. Luke UMC in Hartsville, SC Jan. 31-Feb. 3

Hartsville, SC, was the last leg of our two week trek.  We were already pumped when we arrived because we had such a great week in the previous church and knew that St. Luke was well prepared.  Phil Thrailkill is a dear friend who has a deep faith and love for God.  I read his sermons weekly and am always blessed by the insight he has into Scripture.   He and his staff had been hard at work for over six months making preparation for these days of renewal.
We were a little worried about the crowd because an ice storm hit on Saturday.  There were many in the area without power.  But on Sunday morning, they were there, despite the ice.  Here is a picture showing the beauty of the ice on the trees.

We were very pleased with the turnout.  There was standing room only in about every service.  In a time when folks believe United Methodists just won’t come out after dark, this is yet another church that proved them wrong.  These crowds are becoming the rule for Daysprings, rather than the exception.  Thanks for all your prayers!

One evening, we even had a dove visit.  This beautiful bird sat next to the main entrance all evening.  Hundreds of people walked by and this bird did not budge.

Again, the kids really got into BibleQuest.  They memorized with gusto!  This group of children memorized over 500 verses of Scripture in four days!

They loved coming up each evening and saying their Bible verses.

Most of the kids stayed after BibleQuest to hear the stories.  Here are a couple of pictures showing them listening in the service.

They did a great job in the closing program.  One of the best singing bunch of kids we’ve worked with.

Here are the proud medal winners.

While we were in town, we realized we were near the grave of one of Felicia’s ancestors.  She is descended from the Bacot family who were French Huguenot who settled in Charleston, SC in the 18th century.  Samuel Bacot was her (many) great grandfather, a revolutionary war hero who was buried near Darlington, SC.  With the help of the Historic Commission, we found his grave in an overgrown thicket.  He died in 1795.