Although it is now known as Grace Christian Fellowship and has moved to 377 Deer Creek Road in Dacusville, the former Dacusville Church of God of Prophecy has the same group of believers and goal as it always has — “growth in the kingdom of God,” according to pastor Jeff Hunt, pictured at above.

New name, new location, same church

By Ben Robinson, Courier Staff

After many years of serving the Dacusville community from a small building on Hunts Bridge Road, the group of believers once known as the Dacusville Church of God of Prophecy has a fresh start in the community.

The church has a new name, though it never forsakes the old name.

Officially the name is Grace Christian Fellowship dba Dacusville Church of God if Prophecy. The

Grace Christian Fellowship

new name comes from when the church membership moved into the building formerly used by Grace Presbyterian at 377 Deer Creek Road four years ago.

The building was originally used by a group from Jones Hill Church of God, which eventually outgrew the location and moved into the facilities now known as LIFEchurch on Thomas Mill Road. The Presbyterians tried, but were unable to establish the Dacusville location and gave up the location on Deer Creek Road.

Dacusville Church of God of Prophecy happened to be looking for a new location at the time. Started in 1951, the church had vigorously served the Dacusville community from its small facility on Hunts Bridge Road. Pastor Jeff Hunt, who had already served as the church’s pastor for four years, led the church as it moved into its new facility.

Hunt has served as a pastor for the church since before it moved four years ago. Later, the former Church of God of Prophecy building was rented to Hunt’s friend Cleve Holloway, who started New Works Christian Fellowship at the Hunts Bridge Road location.

Hunt has been in the ministry for 40 years. He started his ministry by serving as a pastor for nine years.

“But the lord got a hold of us to go onto the mission fields,” Hunt said.

He and his wife went to western Canada to serve as evangelists for four years, “then we were asked to pastor a church in Winnipeg, Manitoba,” Hunt said.

The Hunts were only supposed to be interim ministers there, but ended up staying for eight years.

“We stayed in Canada for a total of 12 years,” Hunt remembers. “Then we came back to South Carolina and began pastoring again.”

After leaving for Canada in 1984, the Hunts were happy to return to South Carolina in the mid-1990s.

“I was born in Greenville County in the old Greenville Memorial Hospital,” Hunt said. “My wife is a native of Belton-Honea Path.”

Moving has not affected church attendance, despite one member who lived just three houses from the Hunts Bridge Road location. She still comes to the Deer Creek Road location. Two other members lived on Raines Road, just down from the old church location.

But the church continues to attract people from the Upstate area, including Easley, Travelers Rest and other small towns in the Upstate.

Hunt lives in Greenville in a home he and his wife purchased four years ago. Previously he had depended on whatever church he served to supply a church parsonage, but the older he got, the better the idea of owning a home seemed.

Hunt is healthy now, but he once suffered a heart attack while on the church pulpit bringing the week’s sermon.

EMS was called in to take him to the hospital, where on Monday a muscular stress test was performed, and then on Tuesday a heart cauterization was performed. On Wednesday, a six-bypass open heart surgery was performed.

“But God was good,” Hunt said. “I was back in the pulpit four weeks later.”

In all, Hunt considers the heart problems somewhat of a blessing.

“I feel better now than I did 25 years ago,” he said.

After the church moved, there was a conversation about what the church would be known as. Hunt liked the word Grace being part of the title, and eventually members agreed with him.

“But we are legally The Church of God of Prophecy doing business as Grace Christian Fellowship,” Hunt said. “When we go into the community, we do not hesitate to tell people that we are a congregation of the Church of God of Prophecy. We don’t try to hide that.”

The Church of God and The Church of God of Prophecy have been separate denominations for many years.

The two used to be one denomination, “but a division took place in 1923,” Hunt said. “Out of that came two denominations — one became the Church of God of Prophecy in 1952.”

The two groups continue to work closely together, Hunt said.

While Hunt would love to see his church grow, he gets more excited when the church can send someone into the mission field. Recently, longtime member Houston Hunt, no kin to the Dacusville minister, trained for the ministry. He now pastors the Highlands Church of God of Prophecy.

Another member is currently being trained for a chaplain ministry, offering love and support but not focusing on preaching.

“I would love to see the building packed, but I would even more love to see more people come in and we could send them out to serve somewhere else,” Hunt said. ” I see growth in the kingdom of God as being a lot more important than just growth in one church.”

“Robin Nest,” ink and watercolor, Morgan Summerlin, Daniel High

Local artists honored at kickoff reception

COUNTY — Pickens County Youth Arts 2014 is now in full swing.

Saturday’s kickoff reception at the Pickens County Museum was attended by more than 800 proud parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, and, of course, the talented young artists that created the 994 works of art that are on display at the museum through March 27.

The cultural commission presented awards to artists in both high school and middle school divisions at the reception.

In the high school division, first place went to Daniel High School’s Morgan Summerlin for the

Ben Robinson/Courier

The staff manning Joe’s in Easley Sunday included Taylor Baumgarner, Cody Tardiff, Jesse Holder, Mary Beth Albertson, Julie Ellison, Austin Hatcher and Austyne Douglas. “Every person who walks through that door is a blessing, and we need to appreciate our blessing or someday they might go away,” Ellison said her father, longtime restaurant owner Joe Lesley, told her.

By Ben Robinson, Courier Staff

Sundays are pretty much a dead time for businesses across Pickens County, but by Sunday afternoon, one place in particular is packed with customers.

The Easley Ice Cream Parlor, better known as “Joe’s” after its longtime owner Joe Lesley, has a regular crowd on Sunday afternoons.

“For a lot of people, coming here is just part of their Sunday schedule,” said Julie Ellison daughter of Joe and unofficial manager of the restaurant. “We get church groups, people who work together through the week and many others. We just know we appreciate them letting us be a part of their Sunday.”

The restaurant is packed on most weekdays, but Sundays draw a special

By Ben Robinson, Courier Staff

Cleve Holloway has led a very simple life. After receiving the calling to preach at a local church, Holloway says he noticed that several aspects of what his denomination taught were in conflict with what the Bible says.

“I brought it before the people in charge, and they basically said ‘We will go with what we teach and ignore what’s in the Bible,’” Holloway said. “So I

Preparing our children for the future

By Nicole Guttermuth, Courier Staff

Nicole Guttermuth

About this time for the last few years I’ve shared with readers fond memories of my childhood gearing up for the first day of school.

A self-professed nerd, dork and over-achiever, I’ve always loved school and I’ve recently been tinkering with the idea of enrolling myself into a Ph.D. program to earn the doctorate that’s always been part of my grand master plan for life.

Earning an education is stressed in my home to the point that I’m sure my girls roll their eyes behind my back occasionally. The older and wiser I become, the more life I experience, the more firmly I hold tight to the notion that having an education is essential for lifelong success.

 CONCORD BAPTIST CHURCH

Concord Baptist Church has been a fixture in Pickens County for well in excess of a century.

Pastor Roberts

On June 30, the church celebrated 125 years of ministry, as members dressed in a variety of old-fashioned styles, many drove classic cars and matched their clothing to their car models. An antique doctor’s buggy even made an appearance.

Church music director Roger Ellenburg led the congregation in a capella music, including selections sung at the church’s very first service on June 30, 1888. Members were challenged by messages from pastor Guy Roberts, who has served the church alongside his wife Wanda since November 1999, and former pastor Tommy Hayes.

The church’s anniversary celebration will continue throughout the summer, with special music, testimonies from church members, and the sharing of historical facts about the church’s culture.

The celebration will culminate during a Homecoming service on Sept. 22 with a documentary film highlighting the church’s history. Church officials invite family and friends to any services, especially the Homecoming service, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be followed by a meal on the grounds, with the film showing at 2 p.m.

Hayes will preach the morning message.

For more information, contact the church office at (864) 878-7461 or find Concord Baptist Church on Facebook.

Roberts, Hayes and the Concord Baptist congregation rejoice in what the Lord has accomplished, praying that God will continue to use the church fellowship for His glory.

Jack Hester and his wife Shirley pose for a snapshot in 1961.

Dr. Jack Hester shares story of
longtime ministry in new book

Dr. Jack Hester shares story of longtime ministry in new book

By Ben Robinson, For the Courier Courier

Courtesy Jack Hester
Jack Hester poses for a photo with a ball and glove during his younger days, when he was an avid baseball player.

Dr. Jack Hester looks over his notes for his next sermon. If you are familiar with Hester, as many in the Upstate are, you may be surprised that he is still active.

Hester, who is 83 years young, is the interim pastor at Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Pickens, and — as of right now — has no plans as to when to take another step into his retirement.

“I feel better today than I did when I was 50 years old,” Hester said.

“So what should I be doing but raising the Lord and sharing His story with as many people as possible? When I signed in for this job, there was no place to sign out.”

Hester has been preaching the gospel for more than 62 years.

“My wife Shirley has been blessed with a beautiful voice, and I have blessed to have her sing at many of the churches who asked me to come preach,” Hester said. “Sometimes I think people are really wanting to hear Shirley sing and are just willing to put up with my preaching so they can get her. But we make a good team.”

Hester has just completed an autobiographical book entitled, “My Story for His Glory.” The book is subtitled, “From Baseball to the Bible; From Mill Hill to Calvary’s Hill.”

Hester’s story goes back to when he was an infant and Hester reveals what God did in the life of a young man who had made a life in baseball, his lifelong dream. Yet knowing God’s call was upon him, he continued to rebel until the time he made a total surrender to God’s call, turning from baseball to the Bible… from the Mill Hill to Calvary’s Hill. He shares a moving illustration of his life.

Hester became an avid baseball player in his youth, earning looks from professional teams.

“I turned down a large contract from professional baseball and concentrated on what I felt was a stronger calling to share the word of God,” Hester said. “Since then I have plowed, planted and reaped both nationally and internationally through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He has recorded more than 30,000 conversions in his career.

Hester began his ministry at Grace Baptist Church in Simpsonville. While there, he began a radio ministry, “The Gospel Dynamite Hour,” which continued for more than 25 years.

Eventually, he was called to Powdersville First Baptist Church. He “retired” from there in 2002. He was then asked to be the interim pastor at Nine Forks Baptist Church in Dacusville, and he fell so in love with the people there that he eventually accepted the position as full-time pastor.

He retired from Nine Forks a couple of years ago, but has stayed busy preaching revivals, guest speaking at various local churches, and serving as interim pastor where needed. He avoids using the “retirement” word because he does not know how long God will choose to use him.

Although Hester has spoken at some of the largest churches in America, he still makes time for smaller churches too.

“If you have been called by God to preach His word, there is no such thing as a ‘small church,’” Hester said.

For more information or to buy Hester’s book, call Mountain Grove Baptist Church at (864) 878-6399.

Thank you for your Service

About Wounded Warriors Project

The mission of the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP) is to honor and empower the men and women who have been injured in service to their country and foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history.

The WWP works diligently to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

Headquartered at the Sacrifice Center in Jacksonville, Fla., additional program offices are located throughout the United States and specific locations can be found at woundedwarriorproject.org.