Carol Reeves (right), Pastor Ronnie Reeves' wife, leads other members of Aiken's First Pentecostal Holiness Church while they burn books and other belongings at a Wednesday evening ceremony at the church. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

Susie Green brought empty Bud Light cans, playing cards, and a Rage Against the Machine CD she said belonged to her husband.

''These things I have in my house are a sin,'' she said. ''My faith is strong, but this will bring me closer to God.''

Sheryl Cooper, a member of the congregation, brought things to the fire that ''don't belong in the home.''

She said now she won't have to worry about some of the ideas that might get into her 10-year-old son's head from watching violent movies such as Face Off and Cyborg.

''That's what's wrong with kids these days. They see things like that, and they get ideas like (violence) is OK, but it's not,'' Ms. Cooper said.

Members of the tiny church have been rummaging through their homes since Sunday to find things they considered sinful to burn in the bonfire.

Pastor Ronnie Reeves said the word sinful can be defined as''anything unpleasing to God.'' That could include violent movies, pornography, offensive musical lyrics and books that deal with sorcery, he said.

The burning was symbolic of a personal confession to God, the pastor said.

His wife, Carol, had a plastic bag full of Nintendo games she said her two grandsons willing gave up after she told them about the bonfire. The movie Titanic was also in her bag for the burning.

''We're burning that because of the language and the nudity,'' she said.

Eight congregation members out of the church's 25 showed up for the bonfire. Fourteen electronic and print media members from as far as Columbia attended the event, a turnout that overwhelmed some of the congregation.

Mr. Reeves said that when they put ''Book Burning'' on the billboard near the road, it wasn't to attract such zealous media attention. The church posts notices on that sign for all the events they have, he said.

''Who knew that this little church that has been here 40 years is getting all of this attention for something that we're doing just because we think we need to do it,''he said.

Reach Sara Bancroft at (803) 279-6895 or scbureau@augustachronicle.com.