Rev. Dr. J.W. Sanders Sr. died Tuesday at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. He had been hospitalized since June 1. For each of his 80 years, longtime Bethel Baptist Church Pastor Dr. J.W. Sanders Sr. lived with the attitude that anything is possible when being guided by the will of God.

Called at the age of 19 to become leader of a fledgling congregation in Gaffney, such faith allowed him to spend more than 60 years at the church, in addition to being used as a vessel to help members of the community when in need.

Sanders died Tuesday evening at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center following an illness which kept him hospitalized since June 1. The local minister seemed to be on the road to recovery last week following surgeries to remove a small piece of metal from his intestinal tract and an ailment causing him respiratory discomfort, but in recent days his health began to fail.

“Right now I’m choked up. I don’t know what to say, he was like a father to me,” said Bethel Baptist Church deacon Chris Dewberry. “He’s the only pastor I have ever known. His guidance helped me get over a lot of my past personal problems. He was always there. It is going to be very different not seeing him here, but one day I hope to see him again.”

Sanders was already a minister when he answered the call to become pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in 1949, a title he would hold for 61 years. During his time at Bethel, the church’s congregation blossomed to 400 members, in addition to him setting the foundation for a variety of community ministry programs.

He also spent 38 years as pastor at Island Creek Baptist Church.

The minister’s reach extended far beyond the four walls of his churches, serving as moderator and moderator emeritus of the Thicketty Mountain Baptist Association, a trustee at Morris College, vice chairman of trustees at South Carolina State University and president of the Cherokee County Black Ministerial Alliance.

Not one to neglect the needs of the community, Sanders spent time as chairman of the Regional Area Agency on Aging, which covered six Upstate counties. He was also appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford to the S.C. Public Service Authority’s Board of Directors, in addition to serving as vice principal of Sims High School in Union during his years as an educator.

Leaving an indelible mark on those he came in contact with, Sanders was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor.

Gaffney City Councilman Tom Reid described Sanders as more than just his pastor.

“He was not only my pastor, but my friend,” Reid said. Other than when his job forced him to relocate, Reid said Sanders served as his primary spiritual advisor.

“He’s been my pastor virtually my whole life,” Reid said. “He was a man that I aspired to be.”

Sanders’ friendship and guidance was especially important to Rev. Mary Jefferies, pastor of Indian Hill Baptist Church. Sanders, as leader of the local Black Ministerial Alliance, ordained Jefferies to her role of pastor at Indian Hill Baptist Church.

“He played a big role in that he helped me get ordained to go pastor a church,” Jefferies said.

“He was a great legend,” she added. “We will miss him because he was a man of faith and a man of God. He was a beautiful man.”

Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly said nobody captivated a congregation or a gathering with his prayerful words like Sanders.

“I just loved to hear him pray,” Jolly said.

Never shy about taking a popular or unpopular stance, Sanders also will be remembered for his civic and political contributions, the mayor said.

“He was a dedicated servant to the community, especially the Appalachian Council of Governments,” Jolly said. “He was a longtime civic and religious leader and political activist.”

At the time of his death, Sanders was working on an autobiography, working with renowned author Toschia Moffett Santiago.

Santiago said it was like speaking to history.

“It was like I was talking to a walking history book. So many of the things he was telling cannot be found in a lot of documents found in our schools today,” Santiago said. “Though I’m very saddened at his passing, I am very happy to have been able to know and get close to him and his family. I pray his legacy lives on in the church and the Cherokee County community.”

Sanders is survived by his wife, Rubye; three children, Jewette S. Patterson, Ruzlin S. Smith, and Rev. J.W. Sanders Jr.; and three grandsons.