LAURINBURG – Scotland County Ministerial Alliance is putting a new twist on its annual fall revival.
The revival takes place from Nov. 14 to 16 at 7 p.m. at a different church each night.
This year’s event will feature theme nights and speakers who are not from Scotland County, according to Pastor George Ellis a member of the Alliance.
“We do this with the purpose of bringing the churches together at this time of year,” Ellis said. “This year we tried to incorporate pastors that are not part of the Ministerial Alliance hoping to attract people to come because they get to hear us all the time.”
This first service will be held on Tuesday at Union Grove Baptist Church the theme is Men in Black. Men are asked to dress in black. Michael Massey, Presiding Elder of the Rockingham District of AME churches will deliver the message.
Wednesday’s service will take place at Jones Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. The theme is Women in White, and women are asked to wear white. Pastor Martha Bridges of Minturn Grove Baptist Church in Dillon South Carolina is the guest speaker.
“It’s a beautiful sight to look out and see lots of men in black or look all over the church and see ladies dressed in white,” Ellis said. “But if folks don’t have either we still want them to come. That’s the most important thing.”
On Thursday the alliance will celebrate youth night with a Teens in Jeans program at Galilee United Methodist Church. Rev. Brian Hardison at Grace Temple in Wallace, South Carolina will speak. Hardison is Grace Temple’s youth minister who has an “outstanding testimony for youth.”
On Nov. 22 there will be a Thanksgiving Service at 11 a.m. at Bright Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor Osmar Kelly of Tabernacle House of Prayer will deliver the message.
The purpose of the Alliance’s revivals is twofold, according to Ellis. The main goal is to bring the gospel to people, but the secondary goal is to raise funds to allow the Alliance to continue its other ministries.
The Alliance supports local nonprofits like Church Community Services, benevolence offerings and awards scholarships to students who attend churches who belong to the group.
“The more funds we have, the more we can do. It helps us to generate finances so we can continue to help students and nonprofits,” Ellis said. “We awarded six last year; we try to give between four and six hundred dollars per student depending on the number of students we have.”