Rev. Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr., Senior Pastor of Brookland Baptist Church, will Deliver baccalaureate Address

By Helene Carter

The Baccalaureate Ceremony, a spiritual tradition held the day prior to commencement convocation to celebrate the academic achievements of scholars, will be held at Claflin University on Friday, May 11, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the Tullis Arena of the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Physical Education Center.  The ceremony will be open to the members of the Class of 2007 and their families, alumni and friends.

The Rev. Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr., senior pastor of Brookland Baptist Church, West Columbia, South Carolina, will deliver the keynote address.  Dr. Jackson, a native of West Columbia, South Carolina, is a 1974 magna cum laude graduate of Benedict College.  Upon earning a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Benedict College, the Rev. Jackson pursued seminary studies at the Morehouse School of Religion of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 1977 graduated with honors with a Master of Divinity Degree. In August 1978, he completed one year of certification of residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at the South Carolina Academy for Pastoral Education.

Dr. Jackson acknowledged the call and began preaching at the age of nine (9); was licensed at the age of ten (10); was ordained at twelve (12); and was installed at eighteen (18) as pastor of his home church, the Brookland Baptist Church, where he has served for thirty-four (34) years. On July 10, 1984, the mayor and City Council of West Columbia presented a proclamation to him as the youngest and first Columbian to serve as president of the South Carolina Baptist Congress of Christian Education. Brookland Baptist Church, with a membership of over 6.000 persons, has 65 ministries to serve individuals and the community.  On May 12, 1985, Morris College in Sumter, South Carolina, conferred upon him the Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.

In observance of his 30^th anniversary as pastor of the Brookland Baptist Church, Governor Jim Hodges awarded him in 2001 the Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor that the State of South Carolina confers upon its citizens.

While the Rev. Jackson has delivered lectures at dozens of colleges and universities, he thrives on delivering the word of God, continuing to preach at revivals throughout the United States.

This past February, Claflin University and Brookland Baptist Church established a collaborative partnership to provide non-traditional continuing education opportunities for individuals twenty-two years of age and older who have completed at least one and one half years of college to work towards a bachelor's degree in either Organizational Management or Sociology/Criminal Justice Administration.  The partnership agreement will allow for the expansion of educational offerings to include additional areas of study.  Classes will be held on the campus of Brookland Baptist Church.

The program is consistent with Brookland’s goal not only to offer not only spiritual guidance for congregants and residents of West Columbia but also to forge educational ties with Claflin University, nationally recognized for its accredited academic programs and high graduation rate.

Dr. Jackson is married to the former Robin Hoefer and is the father of two children, Charles, Jr., a graduate of Morehouse School of Religion and pastor of New Laurel Street Baptist Church, Columbia, South Carolina, and Candace, a graduate of Duke University School of Law. The Rev. Jackson cherishes a daughter-in-law, the former Iva Gaymon, and three grandchildren, Kayla, Charles III, and Caleb.

Claflin University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is a research-oriented liberal arts institution offering 33 baccalaureate degrees and three graduate programs.  U.S. News & World Report, in its 2007 Guidebook to America’s Best Colleges and Universities, ranked Claflin in the Top Tier for the ninth consecutive year (1999-2007) among best Comprehensive Colleges for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees.  Claflin holds the distinction of being the only Comprehensive baccalaureate institution in South Carolina to be ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s Top Ten category in 2005 and 2006.

For more information about Claflin’s Baccalaureate and Commencement exercises, please contact the Office of Public Relations at (803) 535-5351, 535-5349, e-mail hcarter@claflin.edu, log on to www.claflin.edu.