The Servant Heart

sandhillPastor Jeff Philpott had one question coming out of college. “I asked,” he says, “’Which life do I want to live for? This one or the next?’” He opted for the latter, going into church multiplication ministry, turning his time on earth into something significant for Christ’s Kingdom. And he’s not doing it alone. 
 
Sandhills Community Church in Columbia, South Carolina, is a church plant that has made servanthood and generosity its priorities. From its beginnings in a home Bible study in October 1997, the church has grown in size and in service. Philpott says, “When we first moved to the area, we had no contacts in this community. We went door to door and found out about a Christian family, the Longeneckers, in northeast Columbia. I asked them to host a Bible study in their home.”  
 
Ironically, the Longeneckers had become believers through a C&MA Bible study meeting in a home. He says, “They felt God had sent me there, and they wanted to return the favor. It was one of the confirming things that God had preceded us in the work. We made many divine contacts over the next months.”  
 
A group of core-contributing members acquired by building bridges became an integral part of the church. “A church plant is only as strong and effective as the people who join,” Philpott says. “They were not just passively committed; they jumped right in. Essential to the birth of the church was the incredible sense of ownership. When vocabulary changed from ‘this church’ to ‘our church’ we knew the ministry was taking hold in their hearts.”  
 
After three months, the Bible study grew to 40 people meeting in a living room. Various ethnicities attended—African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Chinese, Japanese. Philpott says, “Acts 2 describes a sense of unity among believers. We sought to replicate that verse.” Then things changed. Philpott says, “I knew we had to start an actual church, so we changed the format to Sunday mornings. We went from 40 to 12.”  
 
Through faith, however, the church grew, and they officially launched August 16, 1998. Although 100 people attended the first service, the following Sunday reality hit again—only 34 came. Still, the group persevered, and lives were changed. They now meet in Summit Parkway middle school in the heart of the fast-growing community.  
 
Pat and Gail Lee, neighbors of the Philpotts, are examples of the church’s impact. Pat was in the military in Korea, and when he came home, he and Gail were contemplating divorce.  
 
One day, as Pat was staining his deck, Pastor Jeff asked if he could help. “He asked if someone wanted to talk with me about their marriage, would I keep it to myself. I told him he could trust me, especially where certain issues—which I named—were concerned. He opened up and said I described his life. As we finished I had become his confidante.”  
 
In no time, Pat and Gail had accepted Christ. Philpott describes the transformation, saying, “We all became best friends. They were involved for three years in the church. Pat became an elder, and Gail led Bible studies. They even co-led a study on marriage!” Though the Lees have transferred to Levinworth, Kansas, Gail recently sent Pastor Philpott a letter expressing how much she had been impacted by the ministry of the church.  
 
Besides evangelism, generosity is a foundation for Sandhills Community. Members conduct “kindness outreaches” once a month, which have changed the way the community sees the church. “We had a gas buy-down and dollar car wash,” Philpott says. “Gas was $1.24 per gallon, and we paid 20 cents. We would pump the gas and hand out refreshments at no cost. We wanted to show the love of Christ in a practical way.”  
 
Philpott says of the car wash, instead of charging a dollar they surprised people by paying them a dollar. He says, “One guy was so stunned he almost wrecked on his way out. Another guy threw dollars at us. One man in a new Mercedes stayed for 45 minutes, begging to donate. He asked if we had needs in children’s ministry. My wife said yes and he gave her $100! The gas station attendant said they had never seen a church give back to the community like that. We have seen people get saved through this ministry.”  
 
Philpott realized early on the importance of evangelism. His parents, stockbrokers, moved every couple years. The family settled in North Carolina, where God began to work in his life. While young Jeff was working in a mall restaurant, the owners of a nearby shop, Bob and Betty Wingate, befriended him. “At the time, I went to church, but I really wasn’t following Christ,” he says. “They showed me a gospel tract, and I realized I had never asked for forgiveness. It was then that I accepted Christ.”  
 
During a Campus Crusade for Christ outreach in Daytona, Florida, he witnessed to a lady on a park bench. The woman accepted Christ and his “life was transformed over the course of that week.”  
 
After marrying his wife, Michelle, the couple felt called to evangelism and discipleship in the local church. At seminary in Columbia one of Philpott’s professors suggested he join a denomination. He says, “I had gone to an Alliance church in Boone, North Carolina, in college. I called and talked to the associate pastor who encouraged me to talk to the C&MA.”  
 
The district soon directed him toward church planting. In fact, unbeknownst to Philpott, while researching church-planting data for a potential plant in northeast Columbia, he was actually being considered for the pastor’s role. He says, “It was an overwhelming opportunity at the time. We had talked about church planting, but I hadn’t thought we’d actually do it until years down the road.”  
 
Well, the future is now, and the church is growing in significant ways. In the next five years, Philpott would like to see the church grow to 250 or 350. At that time, they will plant another church.  
 
Jeff Philpott has since gone back to Bob Wingate and told him that as a result of Bob’s evangelism to him as a teen, “pastor” Jeff has led many people to the Lord. He says, “I told him because of his faithfulness, the fruit I get will be a credit to his ministry.” Pray for Sandhills Community Church as they reach their neighbors for Christ.

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