Chaplains are delivering food, medical supplies, and prayers to the South Carolina State Fair as part of a decades-long tradition to brighten the days of workers and attendees alike.
Current and retired pastors of local churches have volunteered their time to help out at the fair in a Christian way for more than 20 years, WLTX reported. Among the rides and attractions, fairgoers can also be prayed over.
“Our chaplains are just here for the people. We’re here for the workers; we’re here for anybody that might want to have someone pray with them or just have somebody to talk to,” Lee Butler, mission strategist at Lexington Baptist Association, told the local outlet.
In past years, about ten chaplains would roam around the fairgrounds, looking to give people the good word. For the first time this year, attendees can scan a simple QR code to request a prayer from a chaplain right away.
According to Butler, the pastors take a two-pronged approach: pre-fair and during.
Before the festivities begin, the volunteers hand out food and drinks to fair workers, as well as bring in nurses for health screenings.
“We have hygiene kits that we pass out to the workers. We have coffee and conversation. The churches just bring sweets on top of sweets, so we have a lot of desserts that we can offer them,” he said.
Nancy Smith, general manager of the South Carolina State Fair, explained that the chaplains get a “unique opportunity” to build ministry with the busy workers, who are often far away from home.
“They’re on the road all the time, and they stay here these 12 days, as well as our concessionaires that come to sell their things at the fair, and quite a few others, so having a ministry like away from home is just really a unique opportunity.”
The chaplains got positive reviews from attendees of the fair, which runs from October 11 to 22.
“Pastors praying for people is, that’s a very good thing, letting people know about Jesus and what Jesus can do for you,” said one fairgoer to WLTX.
“As far as I’m concerned, we need a little bit more God in our country,” said another.
