教會歷史(Church History)
​Our church has been here in Florence South Carolina Since year 1997. Upon some church members family moved and left SC, We are the church that brothers and sisters still here because of God's promise, commands and blessings.
We are connected with other Baptist church and other Chinese churches brothers and sisters that support us. We want to sincerely thanks them at all!
    
   In 1996-brother Hugo  and Arthur visited the Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, America South Carolina at Lake City with cookies and Bible. He was a student at Columbia International University then. He had a vision to start a Chinese Church here after he heard about Nan Ya and about 100 people there speaking Chinese.
  In 1997- 4 or 5 families started the bi-weekly Saturday bible study here at  Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church,
  In 1998-4 or 5 families started the bi-weely  Sunday worship at the Calvary Baptist Church, including brother Eric and sister Susan, brother Tab, sister Tina. 
  In 1999- Four brothers and sisters baptize here at  Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church,  since then now we have total of 21 brothers and sisters baptize here at  Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church.. 
 In 2000-Pastor Henry and the Florence Baptist Association helped to get Pastor Tsai from Taiwan. With Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church 's support  Pastor Tsai lived here just right beside the Church, and we started to use the FBA building for our Sunday service.

 In 2003-Pastor Tsai went back to Taiwan, but the Florence Chinese mission work has never stopped. Feeling the needs for the children and youth programs, we moved our worship location to the Greenwood Baptist Church.
 In 2005 so that our children could attend their Sunday school program. Later, as the numbers of K-5 kids increased, Greenwood church started to offer children program for us during our worship time. We also started Wednesday night prayer meeting and Friday night Bible study programs in sisters Tina, Susan and Sandy’s houses.
In 2007-brother Lawrence’s family moved to Florence to work at OM ships office here. His wife, Mrs Susan Tong, started the Friday night children program, and we moved our Friday night Bible Study to OM ships office. The children program is truly a blessing to us, and it also attracted lots of children of the local Chinese restaurant owners. Very often there are more children than adults on Friday night. Brothers and sisters volunteer to pick up those kids from the Restaurants. Brother Lawrence’s family is leaving Florence next year, but sisters from the Church of Sandhurst heard about the program and they will carry on the torch.   

To summarize, we have Sunday worship and children’s program at the Greenwood Baptist church, and the Friday fellowship and children’s program at the OM Ship office. Pastor Henry comes to the first Sunday of every month, to preach and to have the holy communion with us. Other times, pastors, missionary students from Columbia Chinese church come to preach.
Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church has always been a big part of every step of our church, FCCC through financial, teaching, and prayers, and we call you our mother church. Today is your Homecoming celebration. Yes, we are home. 

Secondly, we updated the church directory, including families who attend our worship or fellowship regularly or occasionally, and families who have left us (Alumni). There are more than 40 adults and 20 children on the current list, and about 30 adults on the Alumni list.
We are a very small group. There are normally less than 20 regular members attending the Sunday worship. We constantly have brothers and sisters leaving Florence, but God also continue to bring brothers and sisters to Florence. God uses us to spread the Good News, to demonstrate His love through serving the local Chinese community. God also provided us with good harvest. Starting from sister Tina in 1998, to sisters Nina and Peggy who were just baptized, there are 21 brothers and sisters were baptized here, at the Sparrow swamp Baptist Church by either Pastor Stan or Pastor Henry. In addition to this, there are 5 more brothers and sisters were baptized during the church retreat. We are so blessed that God used us in their salvation, and in their life changes.
1Pe 2:9  But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say,
1Pe 2:10  "Once you were nobody. Now you are God's people. At one time no one had pity on you. Now God has treated you with kindness.
God chose us to be his people. We say goodbye to the World, and carry the cross. God give us joy and peace, and makes us stronger. So we say goodbye to sorrow and to weakness. On this journey walking with God, we press on and will never turn back.
Let sing the second part of the song one more time.    ​

SCFCCC♔Emanuel