Hundreds of mourners packed into Bethel Baptist Church on Monday to pay their respects to longtime pastor and community leader Rev. Dr. J.W. Sanders Sr., who died July 6 in Spartanburg. (Ledger photo / JOE L. HUGHES II) Hundreds flocked inside Bethel Baptist Church on Monday to say goodbye to longtime pastor and community leader Rev. Dr. J.W. Sanders Sr.

Sanders, who spent 61 years as pastor of the Gaffney congregation, died July 6 at a Spartanburg hospital. He was 80 years old.

His body lying in state below the same pulpit in which he orated numerous sermons, many lined up two hours prior to the funeral service to say goodbye to Sanders, who was remembered as a local legend whose impact was not only felt at the churches in which he preached but also by the many people he came in contact with through the years.

“We have lost one we cannot replace,” said Dr. Carol McFadden, who worked under Sanders as youth advisor at Bethel Baptist Church. “Remember the love he shared and the work he did for this church ... this loss is heaven’s gain.”

During his time at the church, Sanders was the driving force in implementing a variety of community ministry programs while watching Bethel’s congregation flourish to more than 400 members. He also spent 38 years as pastor at Island Creek Baptist Church.

The local minister served as moderator and moderator emeritus of the Thicketty Mountain Baptist Association and the Cherokee County Black Ministerial Alliance.

A longtime family friend and fellow member of the clergy, Dr. C.V. Owens compared Sanders’ death to the falling of a large tree, making an impact on not only Cherokee County and the rest of the Upstate, but South Carolina and the country as a whole.

“(Sanders) preached what he believed and believed what he preached in his 61 years as pastor,” Dr. Owens said. “I have lost one of the best friends I ever had. He was a friend, brother and neighbor, one which will be missed dearly.”

While doing God’s work was his primary mission, Sanders also stood for his beliefs in civic matters, letting his voice be heard on issues at the local, state and national level.

In his lifetime, Sanders was named chairman of the Regional Agency on Aging, which covered six Upstate counties, and was appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford to the D.C. Public Service Authority’s Board of Directors. He was also recognized as one of the nation’s top Black leaders on several occasions in the “Who’s Who in America” publication, and was presented the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto.

Sanders received a few more honors during the funeral, receiving letters from President Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton, in addition to the local ReGenesis HealthCare facility being named in his memory.

Among the many local dignitaries present for the ceremony was state Sen. Harvey Peeler (R - S.C.), who recounted his time with “Big Red,” a name bestowed upon Sanders by the lawmaker’s peers at the State House in Columbia.

“If something was supported by Sanders, it was smooth sailing; if he was against the bill, I knew it was going to be a rocky road,” Peeler said. “We have lost one of South Carolina’s finest citizens, a larger than life individual. If only every community had a leader who made an impact coming close to that in which Dr. Sanders did here.”

Though a solemn occasion in which quite a few tears were shed, the service also was laden with the exuberance and energy of one of Sanders’ many sermons.

Following a rousing performance by Bishop Keith C. Smith of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Bible Church in Spartanburg, many within the sanctuary began to shout, dance and shout — getting a dose of the same anointing the minister regularly welcomed during one of his services.

“This is not a time to talk, nor is it a time to worry,” said Bethel Baptist Church member Mandret Wilkins. “It’s not a time to worry about who is taking his place ... (Sanders) cannot be replaced.”

A DVD honoring Sanders was also played during the service in which toward its conclusion the longtime minister sang one of his favorite songs, “Traveling Shoes.”

According to Island Creek Baptist Church deacon Jerome Littlejohn, Sanders deservedly earned those traveling shoes and can now rest following a lifetime of serving God and his community.

“Let us all say goodbye to the pastor, and though we mourn, rest assured he has on those traveling shoes,” Littlejohn said.