On September 8, 2025, the bell rang nine times at Langston Baptist Church. 

The bell was a feature Brandon Blair added to the front of the large sanctuary when the church invited him to serve as senior pastor in 2022. “The Bible says that all of Heaven rejoices when one sinner comes home,” Blair said. “I just thought, there must be a bell in Heaven where it goes off and all of Heaven rejoices. When someone rings that bell, we know they’ve given their life to Jesus, and we rejoice in that with heaven.”

That same day, over 20 people were baptized, and even the balcony was filled with people. However, this was not the story for Langston Baptist just a handful of years prior. 

Decades of Prayerful Members

After years of decline, church members like Teresa Lewis and Ron Hucks hoped to see the congregation revived. “I’ve prayed for 50 years for what you see inside this auditorium now,” Hucks said, recalling a thriving church decades before. “We had a great church back in the ‘70s. We’ve watched it grow, and we’ve had our tough times,” he said. 

Teresa Lewis, Executive Assistant at Langston Baptist, has seen the highs and lows of the church as well. “I often used to walk into this auditorium and think, ‘Will we ever fill this building?’” A construction project in the early 2000s, filling the space seemed like a far-off dream. The space was often full for concerts and other programs, but never on a Sunday morning. Now that it regularly fills, Lewis’ new prayer is that they will need two services. “I believe God’s fixing to do another work here,” she said. 

Returning to the Basics

When asked what he did to lead to the growth, Pastor Blair’s response was simple: “Pray and preach the Word.” He began teaching through Scripture expositionally and providing a Gospel invitation. “I think a lot of churches have moved away from the simple, main thing—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Blair said. “It still works. It still changes lives. It still grows the church. And that’s what we’re doing.”

He also pointed to the growth Horry County has seen, emphasizing the number of new guests Langston Baptist sees on a weekly basis. “We’re in one of the fastest-growing areas, and in that, the Lord is sending people to our church,” he said. “They’re looking for Jesus even if they don’t know it, and we’re seeing people come to Christ every single week.”

Reaching the Community for Christ

The impact is making waves locally. Lewis shared that as soon as Pastor Blair came to Langston, he encouraged the church to become more like Christ. Lewis said, “The community started coming. People were excited, saying, ‘This isn’t the old Langston; This is a new Langston.’” 

Lewis believes Langston Baptist’s outreach is a key factor in their growth. “Our trunk-or-treat has like 5,000 people,” Lewis said. “What a way to get this community involved in a church and get them to know about Christ.” Their guiding motto is “Reach Conway for Christ,” underscoring their efforts to make Christ known in their community. “As we let our arms go out to welcome instead of closing our arms in, we started to fill these pews,” she said.

“We try to share Christ with every individual who comes on the premises. Through our outreach, our love for people, and our love to see this community reached, we’re going to strive to do that—because God has commanded us to go and tell,” Lewis said.

All Glory to God

Ron Hucks emphasized the main point: “It’s all about Jesus.” He recalls how he used to enter the large auditorium with tears in his eyes, asking God, “Where are they?” Hucks said, “Now I cry because the building is full. It’s just amazing to me what the Lord is doing. He’s using Brandon—there’s no doubt about that. And then he’s allowing this congregation to do the things we’re supposed to be doing.” 

Pastor Blair credits God with the growth and the life transformation Langston Baptist is seeing. “Everything God is doing here is because of Jesus. It’s not the pastor. It’s not the people. It’s not the praise team,” Blair said. “It’s all because of the presence of Jesus Christ. It’s his work, and it’s his glory.”