On Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia, South Carolina, Brookland Baptist Church pairs a long-established congregation with a mission that reaches well beyond Sunday worship: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism, education and economic empowerment. Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr. has pastored his home church for 55 years, and the church he leads runs a sanctuary seating 2,300, a child development center, a federal credit union, a foundation, a senior citizens center, a food pantry, a soup kitchen and a 94,000-square-foot community center. Worship takes place in four places, including the Sunset Boulevard campus, a Northeast Columbia campus, a return to the Monticello Street property where the church once gathered, and an online congregation.
A Mission of Evangelism, Education and Economic Empowerment
The church states its mission plainly: "The mission of the Brookland Baptist Church is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, through evangelism, education and economic empowerment." That sentence shapes nearly everything at Brookland, from the sanctuary to the Academy Child Development Center to the credit union. The church counts more than sixty ministries, and the thread running through them is stated simply: "We believe that what we do within each ministry should flow purposefully out of what we value and love."
The deacons give that idea an organizational shape. They are grouped into teams for Baptismal, Benevolence, Devotional Fellowship, Homebound and Widow(er), Hospital, Mission, Prayer and Scripture, Service, Training and Visitation, and their stated purpose is to serve as servants of the Lord in partnership with the pastor. Deaconesses assist with baptism and communion, counseling female candidates before baptism and preparing the table for the Lord's Supper.
Brookland's mission also reaches across the Atlantic. The church lists active global mission work in Liberia, West Africa, and Ogembo, Kenya.
Fifty-Five Years of Pastor Jackson at His Home Church
Rev. Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr. is a West Columbia native who graduated from Brookland Cayce High School in 1970 with honors, then earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Benedict College, magna cum laude, in 1974. He studied at the Morehouse School of Religion of the Interdenominational Theological Center and received his Master of Divinity in 1977. Honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees came from Morris College in 1985, Benedict College in 2007 and Columbia International University in 2018, and the University of South Carolina awarded him a Doctor of Public Service that same year.
He began preaching at nine, was licensed at ten, ordained at twelve, and was installed as pastor of his home church at eighteen. He holds the distinction, the church says, of being the only pastor in the nation to serve his home church for 55 consecutive years. He has mentored twenty-four pastors, including sixteen sons and a daughter who now pastor in the Midlands of South Carolina, and eighty-five ministers have come under his leadership.
Buildings tell the story of that tenure. In May 1999 he led Brookland into a new sanctuary seating 2,300. In September 2005 he led the completion of a 68,000-square-foot Community Resource Center containing the Academy, the Health and Wellness Center and the Banquet and Conference Center. In March 2008 the church bought the former Lakeview School, a 94,000-square-foot building Jackson himself had attended for ten years before it closed during integration in 1968. It became the Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center, which now delivers more than $1.3 million in programs and services to over 25,000 people in underserved communities. In July 2022 the 39,000-square-foot Christian Learning Center, including a 20,000-square-foot Youth and Teen Center, was completed. The church received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor South Carolina confers, in 2001, and Jackson opened sessions of the U.S. House of Representatives as guest chaplain in 2011.
His son, Rev. Charles B. Jackson, Jr., serves as co-pastor. He earned his Master of Divinity with a concentration in homiletics from Morehouse School of Religion in 2003, was ordained in 2002, and pastored New Laurel Street Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia for twenty years before returning to Brookland in October 2023. His own conviction: "Everybody can be Great, because Everybody can Serve."
Four Places of Worship
Brookland describes itself as one church in four locations. The main campus, called Brookland West, sits at 1066 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia with a mailing address of PO Box 2093, Columbia, SC 29202, and the Northeast campus sits at 1203 Summit Parkway in Columbia.
The Northeast location was planted on October 5, 2008, and is led by Rev. Dr. Chris Leevy Johnson, who earned a Ph.D. in American history with a concentration in African-American religion from the University of South Carolina, served fifteen years as a chaplain for the university's basketball teams, and is a fourth-generation funeral director and managing director of Leevy's Funeral Home. On January 1, 2023, following the pandemic, Brookland Beyond was established to minister to the thousands who worship online, with Rev. Dr. Darrell King as its online engagement pastor. On Resurrection Sunday in 2025, after thirty-three years away, the church began worshiping each Sunday at Brookland-Monticello, the former location in the neighborhood, with Rev. Vernon Davis as neighborhood pastor.
What a Sunday Morning Looks Like at Brookland West
In-person worship at the Sunset Boulevard campus is at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The 11:00 service is broadcast live, with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Sunday school begins at 10:00 a.m., and midweek Bible study is held on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. People who cannot attend in person can follow along through the Brookland app, YouTube, Facebook or the church's live channel, and recorded messages are kept in audio and video form. CD and DVD copies of services have also been produced.
Children are part of the plan rather than an afterthought. Children's Worship, for ages five to eleven, meets in the Health and Wellness Center gym at 8:15 a.m. on second and fourth Sundays and at 11:00 a.m. on first, second, fourth and fifth Sundays. Nursery care is provided with Sunday school classes, which run from primary and junior classes through middle school, teen, college, young adult and adult classes. For security, a one-time access form is required for Sunday school and Bible study classes.
Infant dedications are scheduled for children six to eighteen months old at the 11:00 a.m. services, and parents complete one session of Parenting University beforehand; single parents also meet with the pastor. There is no fee for the dedication. Ushers, greeters and hospitality teams work each Sunday to welcome people and keep services running smoothly, and sign interpretation is provided at church-sponsored meetings and conferences when requested and approved.
Brookland Northeast in Columbia
The Northeast campus at 1203 Summit Parkway gathers for Sunday worship at 10:00 a.m., with the service broadcast at 10:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 p.m., and Bible study on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. Its welcome reads: "Here you'll find a place to connect with real people and real families. Join us for Sunday Service, fellowship, worship, and great events for all ages."
Pastor Chris frames the work as disciple-making: "We do this through reaching people, teaching them to love and serve Jesus, and sending them to reach, teach, and send others." The Northeast roster includes deacons and deaconesses, Christian education under Rev. Tiffany Redmond, congregational care for adults under Rev. Denean Ambershley and for youth under Rev. Chavis and Courtney Smith, music and arts under Elder Erica Lakin, and outreach under Loraine Montgomery. The details are specific: Children's Worship and a nursery, a teen program and teen worship, liturgical dance, a signing ministry for deaf and hard of hearing neighbors, an Angel Network, a back pack program, and support for military families and veterans.
Choirs, Praise Teams and Signed Worship
Music carries a large part of Brookland's worship. The Charles B. Jackson Singers, affectionately known as the CBJS, serve as the church's evangelistic musical ambassadors, traveling to sing beyond the perimeter of Brookland. Their motto is "We Can Do All Things Through Jesus Christ Who Gives Us The Strength To Do Them With!" and they recorded "Endless Praise" in 1990 and "He Reigns" in 1999 with Donald Malloy. They have appeared with artists including Shirley Caesar, Vanessa Bell, Minister John P. Kee, the Mississippi Mass Choir and the Georgia Mass Choir.
The Effie Boykin Sanctuary Choir, formed in 1995, renders music at the 11:00 a.m. service on first, second and fourth Sundays. Around them are a First Sunday Ensemble, a Jubilee Choir, a Male Chorus, a mime ministry and a praise team directed by Minister John Lakin, III. The Sonrise Chorale sings at the 8:00 a.m. services on second and fourth Sundays. Teens in Praise sings at 11:00 a.m. on third Sundays, and the Brookland Baptist Youth Choir, for children ages five to twelve, sings at the 11:00 a.m. worship hour from September through April.
The Brookland Baptist Church Sign Language Ministry says its purpose is "to ensure that the power of salvation may be shared by persons through sign interpretation and that they are assured of equal access and representation at any/all meetings and conferences sponsored by the church when requested and approved."
Sunday School at Ten and Midweek Study
Christian education is one of the church's three mission pillars, and the Christian Education Ministry organizes Sunday school, new member orientation, Vacation Bible School and Bible study. Sunday school meets at 10:00 a.m. with twenty-five teachers and classes for every age, from nursery and primary through adult, young adult, college, teen and middle school groups. Rev. James A. Jamison serves as interim director, and Wendy P. Kearney is Sunday school superintendent.
Vacation Bible School is a community event held in the first full week of June. The week-long gathering serves nearly five hundred people a day, with classes for infants, children and adults staffed by volunteers, and a meal served afterward each evening. Its stated purpose is to reach children and families in the Brookland and Lakeview community with activities that enhance the Jesus experience.
Midweek, the Come, Grow, & Go class offers a structured discipleship path with weekly study materials on salvation and faith. Women and young adults have their own Bible studies, with the young adult group meeting on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m.
Children, Teens and the VIBE
The youth and teen ministry is directed by Dr. Kenneth Campbell with Elder Mark Richard as youth and teens pastor. Their largest gathering is VIBE, a teen church that meets on the second and fifth Sundays of the month and takes its name from the light-and-life language of Matthew 4: "The VIBE is our church! We want You to join us at The VIBE!"
There is a wide bench of roles for young people. Junior Ushers groom toward the Senior Usher Ministry. Jericho Boys to Men, directed by Deacon George Holmes, pairs older men with younger ones. Young Women of Excellence, led by Deaconess Norma Brown, and the Rose Buds, Leading Ladies and Girls Growing in Grace auxiliaries mentor girls. Young people also serve as praise dancers and as ushers.
Scouting is part of the youth program. Boy Scouts Troop 74, with Scoutmaster Allen Andrews, Cub Pack 74, with Cubmaster Enoch Wisdom, and a Girl Scout program led by Jessica Wilson help young people build character, citizenship, fitness and service, with youth leading their own activities as they work toward Eagle Scout.
Brookland Academy, a Child Development Center
Next door to the sanctuary, Brookland Academy Child Development Center at 1054 Sunset Boulevard has served children since its inception in August 2005. It is licensed and regulated by the South Carolina Department of Social Services, rated Level B+ by the department's ABC Voucher Program, and accepts ABC vouchers. The full-time program is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with published hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and enrollment for children six weeks to four years, plus Camp Brookland for ages five to ten and a First Steps 4K program.
Seven spacious classrooms, three outdoor play areas, monitored rooms, a media center with iMac computers and a lending library, a health room and an eight-bed garden support the program. Two nutritious meals and snacks are provided daily, all staff are CPR and First Aid certified, and students wear uniforms Monday through Thursday.
Curriculum follows Creative Curriculum, one of four developmentally appropriate approaches recommended by the South Carolina Department of Education, aligned with state learning standards and taught from a Christian perspective with daily devotions, Bible stories and character education woven through each learning area. Director Jennifer M. McConnell describes the academy's mission as the individual success of each child in a healthy, safe and nurturing environment, involving families in collaboration with the community. A scholarship named for teacher Taimeka Walker Williams supports enrolled families experiencing economic hardship.
Education as Ministry: Honor Rolls and Scholarships
The Academic Education Ministry, directed by Deacon Robert Rhinehart, treats academic achievement as a form of ministry. It encourages, promotes and rewards excellence for students in grades one through twelve through honor roll recognition, scholarships and education assistance awards, and Pastor Jackson has made "excellence in education" one of the hallmarks of the church's ministries.
The Pastor's and Deacons' Honor Rolls recognize students who attend Brookland regularly. The Pastor's list requires an A in every subject for the grading period, and the Deacons' list requires at least a B average, with a C allowed if the overall average remains a B. Students receive a monetary reward, and recognition takes place twice a year during worship services. A scholarship fund supports students, and a separate tutorial program, coordinated through the Brookland Foundation, helps with schoolwork. A Black History ministry chaired by Dr. Reginald A. Bess keeps that part of the church's educational life visible.
Meals, Baskets and Pantries
Deacon Michael Harris, Ed.D., directs an outreach ministry built on a simple conviction: the church is committed to meeting the spiritual, physical, economic and social needs of people, and volunteers can help by serving in community service programs.
The best known of these is the Soup Kitchen, which began in 1985 at Pastor Jackson's request and has run for more than thirty years. Every Saturday from December through early April, volunteers prepare soup and sandwiches at the former Monticello Street property and deliver meals to the elderly, the sick and shut-in, and others in the Cayce and West Columbia community. What started with about 25 people now reaches roughly 150 a week, and walk-ins are welcome.
Other food ministries include the 500 Club, which has handed out Christmas food baskets to seniors for more than 25 years, feeding 200 to 450 people each season; a Food Bank directed by Bobbie Louden; a community food pantry at the Northeast campus; and a Clothes Bank. The Northeast outreach ministry also runs an Angel Network, a back pack program for children, and support for military families and veterans. The prison ministry meets on the third Thursday of each month and welcomes volunteers from any church affiliation.
Care for Seniors, the Sick and the Bereaved
The James B. Adams, Sr., Senior Citizens Center, inside the Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center at 1218 Batchelor Street, serves people age 55 and older. Social activities, ministry, information programs, exercise, creative arts, volunteer opportunities and community services fill the week, and a weekly fee of $5 helps support lunch. Dr. Cindye Richburg Cotton serves as executive director.
Pastoral care is organized in teams: Care and Keep, led by Lisa Davis; the Church Aid Club, which meets on fourth Saturdays, encourages the sick, shut-in and bereaved, and marks annual pastoral celebrations; and a congregational care ministry for adults and for youth at the Northeast campus. Christian counseling is offered under Sharon Rice-Brown and Rev. Marilyn Bassfield, and support groups for widows and widowers, for grief and for those going through divorce run through the same care network. A Health and Wellness Guild and the Health and Wellness Center extend that work into wellness, and the deacon and deaconess teams visit the sick and shut-in with encouragement.
Economic Empowerment in the Lakeview Community
The economic arm of the church is one of its most distinctive features. Brookland Federal Credit Union is a full-service institution serving members and the community. The Brookland Foundation funds the church's grantmaking and houses the tutorial program. The Brookland-Lakeview Empowerment Center, housed in the former Lakeview School, delivers more than $1.3 million in programs and services annually to more than 25,000 people in underserved communities.
Brookland's related organizations include the Brookland Center for Community Economic Change, the Brookland-West Columbia Community Housing Development Corporation, and the Brookland Community Pediatric Center, a collaborative effort with the Eau Claire Cooperative. As a result of the church's Economic Empowerment Initiative, 204 people are employed at Brookland. The Financial Ministry teaches biblical financial principles through education, empowerment and evangelism, meeting on the second Tuesday of each month and offering small group study for adults and college students.
The Christian Learning Center, Banquet Hall and Health Center
The third phase of the church's capital campaign raised toward a $5 million goal and focused on classrooms, activity rooms and administrative offices. Its centerpiece, the Christian Learning Center, opened in July 2022 as a 39,000-square-foot building with a 20,000-square-foot Youth and Teen Center inside, giving young people and young adults space to gather, study and serve.
The Banquet and Conference Center hosts church events and community gatherings, including a buffet served on Sundays and weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Health and Wellness Center provides space for church programming and doubles as the meeting place for Children's Worship. The Brookland Book Corner offers recorded messages on CD and DVD, and the Lakeview Center keeps senior, housing and community programs running.
Weddings, Funerals and the Sunday Altar
Brookland's sanctuary is available for weddings to both members and non-members. There are no Sunday weddings. Members pay a nominal fee that includes audiovisual support and cleanup, non-members pay an additional fee, and a non-refundable security deposit secures the date. Members may request a Brookland minister to perform the ceremony or bring outside clergy.
For families arranging a funeral, the pastoral office and the family's deacon stay in contact, and the date is set together with clergy, the funeral home and the events coordinator. For a deceased member, the church provides a eulogy service, music, ushers, use of the sanctuary with security and maintenance, and a repast for the immediate family at no charge; non-members may use the sanctuary for a fee.
Each Sunday the altar holds a fresh arrangement sponsored by a ministry, family or individual, and families can mark a birthday, an anniversary or a life remembered, with a photo included in the message.
Five Ways to Give
Giving runs through several channels: online, by text, through the ShelbyNext giving app, through church envelopes mailed to PO Box 2093 in Columbia, and in person, with tithes and offerings also accepted at the credit union. To give by text, a person sends the amount and a fund name to 803-223-7519, choosing among tithes and offerings, Mission, Bible Study, Lakeview, the Brookland Foundation, Phase III and several Northeast funds. Phase III pledges can be spread over 24 monthly payments, and names of those who give at the higher levels are displayed on a plaque in the Christian Learning Center.
Joining Brookland
New members are oriented through New Members Orientation, which introduces the history of Brookland, the ministries available to them and the leadership roles that shape the church. People can request prayer through the church's prayer request form, and an intercessory prayer line accepts requests around the clock at 803-796-8380 or 1-877-796-8380. The Intercessory Prayer Ministry prays for the pastor, staff, city, state, nation, government and the whole body of believers, and offers training sessions, workshops, lectures and seminars to help people develop a deeper prayer life.
Other ministries welcome newcomers in specific ways. The Brotherhood meets on the first Saturday of each month and supports spiritual, emotional and family stability along with community service. The Sisterhood offers women ongoing spiritual and emotional growth, family stability and community service. The Young Women's Auxiliary, for women between 18 and 50, meets on the second Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. and takes part in the soup kitchen, retreats and conventions. Couples for Christ builds marriage through workshops on parenting, communication, stress management and finances, with family events and an annual retreat, using teaching on the five basic needs of a man and the seven basic needs of a woman. The main campus and Northeast contacts list phone numbers for the church office and the Northeast campus.
Brookland Baptist Church's size and reach are easy to underestimate from the outside. On Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia, a congregation of more than sixty ministries meets in a sanctuary that seats 2,300, sends out choirs, runs a preschool, a credit union and a community center in a converted school, feeds people on Saturday mornings, keeps a prayer line open around the clock and now worships in four places, from the neighborhood on Monticello Street to screens in living rooms far from South Carolina. What holds it together is the sentence that has not changed: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism, education and economic empowerment.