Employee of the Century at Brookland Baptist Church

At a young age, we are told to do our “lesson”, graduate and get a good job. With that job, rarely do we think we will be an employee for over 30 years. Yes, reaching 50 years of service is common. But to reach 50 years on the job when you were “recruited” for the job 59 years ago is rare.

Rev. Charles Benjamin Jackson, Sr. is a native of West Columbia, SC, where he attended the public schools of Lexington School District 2. At the age of 9, Jackson began preaching and at the age of 10, he was licensed. When he was 18, he was installed as the Pastor of his home church, Brookland Baptist Church. Reverend Jackson went on to receive degrees from Benedict College, Morehouse School of Religion of the International Theological Center, Columbia International University and the University of South Carolina.

While on the job over the 5 decades, Rev. Jackson has been the leader of a church, whose mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, through evangelism, education and economic empowerment. A few building highlights of his tenure that have served the community in a mighty way are:

1. Construction of a 2,200 seat sanctuary
2. Construction of a 68,000 square Community Resource Center, which consist of the Health and Wellness Center, Academy Child Development Center, Banquet & Conference Center.
3. Construction of the Brookland Federal Credit Union, the first (if not only) church owned Federal Credit Union
4. Construction of a Community Learning Center, which consists of a Teen Center, Multi-Purpose Center, Children Church and other entities.
5. Construction of the Brookland Baptist Church (Northeast Campus)

On October 17, 2021, it was time for the community & church to thank Jackson for his services. The service was held at the church and broadcasted via Facebook: Rev. Jackson’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. There were a plethora of dignitaries and speakers who shared reflections. Some noteworthy persons are:

1. Rev. Carroll McGee
2. Attorney I.S. Leevy Johnson, Owner & Director of Leevy’s Funeral Home
3. Dr. Wendell Estep, retired Pastor of First Baptist Church Columbia
4. Dr. Thurmond Bowens, Jr, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church
5. Dr. Jill Biden, current First Lady of The United States of America

Yup! You read that right! The First Lady made her way to the city of West Columbia. Not only did she bless the crowd, Pastor Jackson was blessed with the privilege of having an interchange named after him … right around the corner from his job. How cool! Here are a few pictures from that day …

When I tell you this was a day to remember, BELIEVE ME! Don’t believe me? Here is a link to all of the images highlighting the day: Pastor Jackson’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Gallery.

Well, this is where I get off. Chat at you. Be ez … click clique. Don’t forget to check us out: MoSeawell Photography.