59 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com St. Andrew’s provides two different Christmas Eve services, with one being targeted toward families and children and the other being more adult-oriented. Huthwaite said these services typically attract between 1,200-1,400 people. “One of my favorite events we have is called ‘Cookies and Carols,’ and one of the most powerful and common times that people feel close to God is through things like this. Through worship. When we’re worshipping together. That sense of his presence, I hear about it all the time,” added Huthwaite. Huthwaite said he’s excited to see his congregation at St. Andrew’s engage with its pastoral leadership through worship. “The more people that open up and engage with worship, everything just gets richer, stronger, better. It creates an experience of God’s presence visiting everyone all the more.” EAST COOPER BAPTIST CHURCH Another Mount Pleasant place of worship, East Cooper Baptist Church (ECBC), is involved in its local community through a fun holiday tradition: the ‘Lights Up’ Tree Lighting celebration at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. For the past 12 years, ECBC’s choir and orchestra has been invited to lead the music at the event, which worship arts pastor Dean Henderson said is a fun, citywide way to kick off the holiday season. ECBC presents a Christmas concert to Charleston each year as well, with this year’s “Fullness of Time” slated for Dec. 12 and 13. While annual holiday musical traditions are to be expected, 2025 marks the final year of running ECBC’s music for Henderson, who plans to retire at the end of December after a 43-year career in ministry – 37 of which he spent with ECBC. “I remember one of my seminary professors told me I could not take a position in Charleston, because this is a city where people want to end up, and usually people in fellowship church positions move several times in their careers. Well, I proved him wrong!” Henderson exclaimed. Henderson also stated that long-term ministry in a local church has many benefits, such as seeing one of his sons-in-law grow up in the church. There’s never a better time for ministry, Henderson said, than during the holidays, and ECBC’s music plays a large hand in that. Due to ECBC’s initial rapid growth, the church decided to offer multiple types of services ranging from contemporary to traditional, while keeping with the church’s Reformed style, meaning all music is theologically sound and Gospel-centric. ECBC also tries to give back to its community by supporting area charities every year such as East Cooper Community Outreach, local food banks and more. This year they are requesting visitors to bring diapers and wipes to donate to the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center during their annual concert, which they call “Concerts for a Cause.” “Our church vision statement is ‘Helping Broken People Treasure Jesus.’ We are all broken people helping other broken people find their healing and wholeness in a genuine relationship with Christ. Our music program connects with this by sharing the hope of the Gospel through music,” Henderson said. While ECBC’s concerts now take place in a facility that holds 1,000 people, in the past the church hosted its concerts at the old Gaillard Auditorium and North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Henderson said it was an honor to host the final concert in the old Gaillard Auditorium before it was renovated. “Music is a powerful tool that can convey the truth of the Gospel in meaningful ways that words alone might not. When you put truth in a beautiful musical setting it becomes memorable and attaches to your soul. Music is a fair and glorious gift of God, and we do not take it for granted, but use it for God’s glory,” Henderson added. In accordance with its vision statement, ECBC’s music program works to share the hope of the Gospel through its unique sound. Music, no matter how it’s implemented, always serves as a vital part of worship at any Lowcountry church. Reflecting on his time at ECBC, Henderson encouraged residents of the Lowcountry to visit a church and see the effect music may have on you. “As I finish my tenure at ECBC I do so with great hope for the future. My departure will cause our church and our music ministry to re-examine, rethink and reconfigure so we can continue to reach people for Christ and make a Gospel impact through music for all generations for years to come.”
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