New pastor leads ‘friendly’ Bethel Baptist Church in Lake Wylie

Steve Kirby can’t contain his excitement. He fidgets talking with his hands saying “The End of Your Search for a Friendly Church” is more than a slogan at Bethel Baptist Church.

“Everybody is welcome,” said the new senior pastor whose first day is Dec. 1. “We have a little something for everybody.”

The church at Five Points began meeting in 1963 in a one-room cinder block building. A gym and fellowship hall with a loft for youth activities has been added, and that sanctuary has been subdivided into office space. Today’s sanctuary holds pews, and a traditional altar and lectern. The original parsonage on the 7-acre grounds is now used by Palmetto Pregnancy Center. New playground equipment will be installed in the spring.

While the church membership has swelled to 150, Kirby said the friendliness of the congregation was the first thing he noticed.

“It’s authentic,” he said. “Our members are genuinely interested. Our ministry is helping people and their families. Our goal is not to fill pews, not to build buildings. It is to make an impact in this community.”

Bethel Baptist has been without a full-time pastor since November 2014. Kirby, who has been with the church in a bi-vocational role for more than a year with his other job at an industrial supply distributor in Rock Hill, was happy to be tapped for the position by the church search committee.

“There’s a difference between having a job and having a calling,” he said. “God’s timing is always perfect.”

Kirby has been senior pastor at Woodward Baptist Church in Chester and Rawlinson Road Baptist in Rock Hill, and associate pastor at Oakdale Baptist Church in Rock Hill. He graduated from Winthrop College in 1985 with a degree in business administration and computer science. He then worked in Charlotte for Royal Insurance for 13 years. He graduated in 1998 from Southeaster Baptist Theological Seminary at Wake Forest, N.C. He and his wife, Elaine, live in his native Rock Hill.

“My aim for the Sunday morning messages is they are relevant and applicable,” Kirby said. “As we unpack the verses of the Bible, folks are able to personally apply the truths and walk out with a tangible plan for allowing God to work in and through their lives.”

Keeping youth engaged is another goal.

“Our younger generations push and challenge the older ones,” he said. “Everyone has ideas. It’s exciting.”

Clover High School art teacher Chris Davis serves as a youth minister. He leads programs for sixth graders through college age, while his wife, Cassie, and member Terri Davis run programs for the younger children.

“He’s motivated by any suggestions we have,” Chris Davis said. “He’s a high-energy guy. He’s willing to incorporate new things that are not necessarily traditional” to appeal to all ages.

The church is bustling with activities including Sunday school and Bible studies for all ages, AWANA youth clubs, adult and youth choirs and Wednesday night dinners, as well as after school Upper Palmetto YMCA programs. Members continue to look for more community additions, such as adding another soccer field in spring and possibly a walking path.

“Our members bring all sorts of ideas,” Kirby said. “It’s great to have them so involved.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 10:52 AM with the headline "New pastor leads ‘friendly’ Bethel Baptist Church in Lake Wylie."