Church’s golf tournament exceeds $130,000 in gifts

In eastern North Carolina, nine miles north of the historic town of Edenton, Rocky Hock Baptist Church sits amongst fields and farms not far from the Chowan River. Organized in 1835, the group of believers has been faithful to the Gospel, and like many rural churches has served faithfully meeting the needs of people. It is from this deep rooted place that a deep love for the children and families served at Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) comes.

“I remember hearing about the children,” Trey Bass recalls. “Learning about the hurt they experienced touched my heart and I wanted to do something. After Hurricane Isabel in 2003, our church helped out at Kennedy Home. We continued to find ways to help any way we could. In 2008, I came to the church about a golf tournament to benefit Baptist Children’s Homes.”

Trey and a few friends went about planning the tournament. The church threw in their support by volunteering and helping recruit teams. The first four-man superball tournament went off without a hitch.

The Rocky Hock Baptist Church Golf Tournament became an annual event. “From the start, we decided to focus on making it fun for everyone. The Baptist Men committed to making a lunch that today golfers say is the reason they return year after year. We focus on fellowship and our golfers enjoy it and the tournament keeps growing,” Trey says.

Trey was raised by Christian parents. Church life was a part of his life. At age 12, he accepted Jesus as his Savior. He remembers being a Royal Ambassador (RA) and the experience impacted him in such a way that he committed to being an RA leader at Rocky Hock, serving the last 20 years and teaching boys grades 1–6.

“The Lord has always been an important part of my life,” Trey says. “I teach my RA boys that there are three things to hold tight onto—hope, faith, and trust in the Lord.”

It is something Trey puts into action every day. He asserts it is the basis of knowing God: “Without the Lord, life is miserable. I try to trust the Lord in everything. I trust Him when planning the tournament every year, hoping it will be better each year. It is what I always do. I look to God. I trust Him to bring the success. We trust Him for the resources and support needed to produce the tournament. He brings about the blessing. He provides the abundance and we give Him the glory.”

This year’s golf tournament held on August 2 marked its 17th year with the accumulative total raised for BCH topping more than $130,000. This year, 27 teams participated, coming from the church, community, and as far away as neighboring Virginia. Everything is donated, from individuals to corporate sponsors like Pepsi giving what they can to the success of the event. There have been between 50 and 60 hole sponsors every tournament. Trey has found all that is needed is to ask.

“My goal is to raise more than $20,000 per tournament,” Trey confides. “We’ve come close but it remains our hope.”

Trey has not grown tired of producing the tournament and looks forward to each year’s event. It can be stressful but his focus on helping children drives him. He says his wife Alanna is important to him continuing his work with the tournament. She tirelessly works behind the scenes, helping every way she can. The final task each year is for the couple to send thank you notes to everyone who is involved.

“The tournament is about relationships,” Trey says. “It is about people coming together to help children. It is about this community and our church.”

Plans for the 2026 tournament are already in the works, slating the event for August 1 at Occano in Merry Hill. Registration begins at 8:30 and a shotgun start at 9:00 a.m. Grills light up early for lunch.

Trey is a Baptist layman who found a way to use his love for the Lord and for playing golf to make a difference in the lives of hurting children. “I love it,” he says. “We are going to do all we can to help.”

Written by  Jim  Edminson, Editor of Charity & Children