Leading a mission trip to the Mississippi Delta is something that never loses its excitement for Steve Hill and the churches he has pastored for more than three decades.
This year’s mission endeavor was no exception.
A mission team of 25 people from Little Clifty Baptist Church traveled to the small community of Cary, Miss., and conducted two Vacation Bible Schools as well as a work project.
One VBS drew 29 children and the other 45. On Thursday night the team hosted a block party where parents and family members could attend. In response to Hill’s gospel presentation and invitation, 55 people — children, youth and adults — made professions of faith.
The team was there from Sunday to Friday, ministering in the small town where just over 40 percent of the people live below the poverty line.
Hill and his wife, Joan, began going to the Mississippi Delta for mission work in 1987. Starting in 1991, he led churches he pastored previously — Valley Creek Baptist Church and New Horizon Baptist Church — to go there on mission.
Hill retired from the pastorate in June 2019, but that break was short-lived.
“I had not planned on going back as far as pastoring, other than doing short-term interims. But (the late) Arnold Moon gave Little Clifty my name,” leading him to accept the pastor position the following October. That enabled the mission trips to continue, with the exception of a break caused by Covid.
The church has been “all in” for missions.
“There is so much excitement,” Hill said. “So many want to go with us. They love going. Every year we go to eastern Kentucky as well, and they are on board with that and want to go in October. They’ve been going to Africa and Kenya, and at home we have four or five major events every year. The people are really reaching out. Next Wednesday (July 30) we will have a back-to-school event and blitz the community.”
On the recent trip to Mississippi, the church met a number of needs for the community of less than 500 people.
“Normally we take a construction crew and a truckload of supplies,” Hill noted.
This year those supplies included shirts given to every child attending VBS — but not just any shirt. Schools there designate one color shirt for elementary students, another color shirt for middle school and another for high school. “We took the appropriate (color) shirts for the kids. That gave them a shirt to meet the school requirement. We also gave each one a backpack with supplies for school.
Cary is not the only Mississippi Delta community to be blessed by Little Clifty.
Rolling Fork, Miss., located in the same county as Cary, was devastated by a tornado in March 2024 that resulted in almost a third of the population losing their homes.
“They are still recovering, and we are trying to help them,” Hill said. “We’ve been there two times and take a truckload of supplies. We stay at Cary, then go into Rolling Fork and minister to the people there. We have big food giveaways to help them out.”
Hill said several members from his two previous churches “have been excited” to travel to Cary and Rolling Fork and minister alongside the Little Clifty delegation.
Also on the trip was Silas Jermaine Session, Sr., pastor of Truth Baptist Church in Radcliff. The group has been asked to return in September or October for Revival on the River.
The successful mission trip, culminated by the many professions of faith, led Hill to conclude, “God is good, and what a blessing to go home with.”
(Photo courtesy of Kentucky Today)
By Chip Hutcheson, Kentucky Today
