THE PIONEER PASTOR(A History of the Landmark Holiness Church)Written By: Robert & Shelia Hicks

Who is Bro. Jeff Butler?

Bro. Jeff Butler is the founder and pastor of the Landmark Holiness church in Brooklet, Georgia, but he hasn't always been in Holiness. In 1963, Victor Jeffry Butler was born to Herbert and Sarah Butler of Savannah, Georgia and spent most of his childhood on Tybee Island. Herbert and Sarah were Southern Baptists. Brother Jeff's great-grandfather was a Southern Baptist preacher. Even though his parents were not Holiness, they raised their children in church and taught them the basic principles of the Bible. He was baptized at the young age of eight or nine. One of the sayings his mother taught him that has stuck with him all through his life and that continues to guide him even though she has passed away is, "if it's in the Bible, you had better believe it."
When Bro. Jeff was just entering his teen-age years, his family was forced to leave the Baptist church they were attending because his mother began asking questions about the Holy Spirit. His family began attending a charismatic church, and when he was about seventeen years of age, he lost interest and quit attending church altogether. The turning point in his life came when he was getting ready to graduate from high school. He and some friends planned to leave after graduation, travel to Tampa, Florida and enjoy their freedom. By this time, he was already involved in the party scene and was out to have a good time, but God heard his mother's prayers and changed his plans. The day before graduation he became extremely sick and was in bed for about thirty days. The Tampa trip was now out of the question. While in bed, Bro. Jeff began to pray. He was dissatisfied with his spiritual condition. He knew there was something more, but what? He had been taught that since he had prayed as a child, he was saved. It didn't matter how he had been living. If this was true, why didn't he feel the assurance of salvation? His search for the truth had begun. 

God Provides an Help Meet

Bro. Jeff began telling God how lonely he was, and it wasn't long before God brought a special young lady into his life. Thersia (pronounced Teresa) Morgan with her beautiful long blond hair and holiness dress caught his attention. There was one problem. In order to date Thersia, her dad said he would have to attend her church, the Holy Church of God in Savannah. The first Sunday he attended Thersia's church he wore a black suit, a canary yellow shirt that was partially unbuttoned, and a gold chain around his neck. He sat on the back pew and listened to Bro. C.M. Butler preach. It seemed that Bro. Butler was preaching only to him. He thought that Thersia must have told her pastor everything that he had been doing, and when he left that day, he had no intention of ever going back. This was Bro. Jeff's first introduction to Holiness. 
That same night, when he went to the charismatic church his parents attended, he asked their pastor if his drinking was wrong. In answer to his question, the pastor advised him not to drink in excess, but stressed the importance of paying his tithes. When Bro. Jeff compared the two ministers, he decided that even though Thersia's pastor had offended him, at least he had cared enough about his soul to preach the truth. He decided to go back again. 

Bro. and Sis Shaw

Old Time Salvation, Marriage, and a Calling to Serve

At the Holy Church of God, Bro. Jeff found the truth he had been searching for. He was amazed to learn that not only must you be saved, but you must live free from sin as well. One service, after Bro. John David Long preached on "The Plumb Line", Bro. Jeff prayed through to old-fashioned salvation. Bro. Jeff and Sis. Thersia were married in December of 1981 and made the Holy Church of God in Savannah their home church. Both became involved in the youth choir, taught Sunday School, and worked with the youth. During a particular service, he, along with three other men, felt the call to preach. Soon doubts began to set in about his own calling as he watched the other three take off like "fireballs" in their ministries. After about six months, he was invited to preach his first sermon. What a flop! He decided to put preaching on hold. The other "fireballs" could do it! He would just be a good church worker instead. 
Sometime later, he was praying at the church.  “Lord, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.  It doesn’t matter what.  I’ll even clean toilets.”  He heard the Lord speak to him, “Will you preach for me?”  His heart sank as he remembered his past failure, but he replied, “Lord, you’ll have to make me a preacher.”
Because he didn’t want to preach anything that wasn’t in the Word, he began to seriously study the Bible.  He got so involved in his studies that when Sis. Thersia would ask him a question he would quote a scripture as his answer.  This did not make her particularly happy.  She was living with a walking Bible!
The company where Bro. Jeff had been working closed its branch in Savannah.  After praying and fasting, he felt the Lord wanted him to move where the company would send him.  He moved his family to Illinois and began attending a church there pastored by Bro. Gaylan Tipper.  Bro. and Sis. Tipper taught them a lot about serving a small congregation.  They even knocked on doors in the snow to invite people to church.  It was while they were in Illinois that Bro. Jeff began publicly acknowledging his call to preach.  
Close to the end of their time in Illinois, Bro. Jeff felt impressed to pastor a certain church in Georgia.  After a short time, the church became available, and the Butlers moved their family back to Georgia to pastor.  Bro. Lee Roland from the church in Soperton was a constant source of encouragement for the young minister and his family.  Sis. Thersia fondly remembers him inviting them to his home for Sunday dinner where he insisted on serving them.  He wouldn’t even allow her to help.Later, they moved back to the Savannah church where they were encouraged by Bro. C.M. Butler’s preaching.  He reminded them that God would make room for their calling.  Bro. Jeff began preaching wherever he could.  He felt that God’s Word could be preached in love and with the anointing of the Holy Ghost, and people would accept it and lives would be changed.  He began preaching in nursing homes and having a weekly Bible study in his home, fifty miles west of Savannah, in Brooklet.

From a Bible Study to a Storefront Church

The Lord began to bless the Bible study, and in 1991 they began holding church services in their home.  Bro. Jeff rented a small storefront building across the road from their home, and by the summer of 1991 they were having services in the storefront.  Renovating the old store looked hopeless, but God blessed and sent people, even sinners, to work on the church at night and on the weekends.  Donations of money, labor, and materials were provided as needed.  At first, there were only broken tiles on the floor, and even though it was a two-story building, you could look up and see the roof.  Because there was no air conditioning and it was about ninety-five degrees inside, people would sit outside on the hood of their car to listen to the singing and preaching.The church began with just two older couples and the Butlers.  Bro. Ivey and Sis. Alice Morris were faithful members and a great blessing to the small church.  Even after Bro. Morris passed away, Sis. Morris remained a faithful saint, calling everyone in the church “her children”.  Though she has gone home to be with Jesus, her prayers live on!
Bro. Jeff and Sis. Thersia saved their money to have a camp meeting preacher come and preach a revival.  Bro. Gary Hampton from Oklahoma came and was a great blessing to the new church.  He didn’t know that part of his offering was the Butler’s house payment, but when he left, they found his entire offering.  He had left it as a love offering to the Butlers.  The Lord always knows how and when to send a blessing!

God Calls the Hicks Family to Help Pioneer the Church

For some time, the Butlers had been praying for workers for the new church.  One of their prayers was that God would send them a piano player.  In the fall of 1993, on the last night of a revival with Bro. Hampton, a family with four young, dark-haired children walked in the door.  That was us, the Robert Hicks family.  We didn’t even know that the church existed until we heard about the revival on the radio.  We had recently moved from Alabama because we had felt God lead us to move to Georgia.  From the very beginning, we were treated like family.  After church, Bro. and Sis. Butler invited us to join them at their home.  The entire church was there for supper.  We will never forget Sis. Thersia sitting at the table trying to find out our life stories.  It was the beginning of a friendship that has stood the test of time.

Before we left for home, Sis. Thersia pulled me aside and calmly informed me that when she had first saw me at church that night God told her that I was their new piano player.  She didn’t even know at the time that I played the piano or that Robert played the guitar.  After much prayer, we were obedient to the call from God to help pioneer the church in Brooklet.  Bro. Jeff and Sis. Thersia have been our pastors for over twenty-five years.  There have been times when we have had a church full of people and other times when there have been just a few.  But, always, Bro. Jeff has preached the truth with love and without compromise.

The New Church Building

For a long time, we had been desiring a church building.  We all prayed, and the Lord provided a way for us to buy some land.  The land was in a great location but was grown up and had several old buildings on it that had to be taken down.  It took a long time to clear it of all the junk iron and glass that had been buried there for years and years.
Bro. Jeff offered to put up everything he owned as collateral for the new church building, but the local banker said it wasn’t necessary.  The construction loan was given on a handshake, and in the fall of 2003, we were finally ready to begin construction on the new church.  For weeks, after church on Sunday nights, we had sat around a table at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) drawing plans on paper napkins and dreaming about what we wanted our church to look like.  Nobody was more excited than Bro. Jeff and Sis. Thersia.

In late October, Bro. Ronnie Wheeler from Missouri arrived with a framing crew.  They only stayed a week, but the work they did was amazing!  People from our community also helped as well as our own church people.During this time, Bro. Jeff couldn’t seem to recuperate from a surgery he’d had in September.  He kept getting weaker and weaker until on November 9th, he lay dying in a hospital.  After being airlifted to Gainesville, Georgia, he was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer and was given a complete blood transfusion.  Only because of the prayers of the saints from all over the country is our pastor still alive today.
This close brush with death changed Bro.  Jeff.  If he even thought he was irritable to you, he would call and apologize.  His preaching changed.  He began to urgently plead for the lost to be saved.  He began to live each day as if it was his last.
While Bro. and Sis. Addis were with us for a Christmas revival, Sis. Addis heard that we were planning on building our own church pews.  She was horrified!  She got up one night and took up pledges from the congregation for new church pews.  She and Bro. Addis bought the first two pews.  She was so passionate in her appeal that every pew was donated!
Bro. and Sis. Shaw came and stayed three weeks to help us with the cabinets and woodwork in the sanctuary.  When they went home, we felt like part of the family had left.We moved into the new church in May of 2004.  In August, Bro. and Sis. Ben Shaw and Bro. and Sis. William Addis came for a week of revival services to dedicate the new church.  Bro. Ryan Ralston also preached one night and brought the Savannah Choir.  They sang “This is Your House, Father Come and Dwell.”  What a time of rejoicing!

Ministry of Love and Truth

The one thing that really sticks out about the Butlers is their love for people.  Time after time, I have seen them share their food, money, and time to help others.  Hungry teenagers and children have been fed.  Clothes and blankets have been donated to the needy.  The elderly have had their needs met.  One time a low-income family who had just started attending our church wanted to travel to camp meeting at Jersey, Georgia with our group.  Bro. Jeff and Sis. Thersia personally paid their way and made sure they had adequate clothing for the trip.
We’ve seen a lot of people come and go for various reasons, but no one who has ever attended our church can say that they were mistreated or not loved.  Our pastor and his wife have gone out of their way to make everyone feel loved and cared for.  He is a firm believer that everyone who walks in the doors of our church should be treated with respect.  Everyone is made to feel welcome regardless of his or her spiritual or social position.  Rich or poor, saint or sinner, everyone is welcome.Elderly ministers are especially honored at our church.  Bro. Jeff believes that the older preachers have a lot to teach us, and several, such as Bro. Johnny Gabbard, have honored our church by being guest speakers and mentors.  We thank God for allowing us to learn from these anointed men of God.I have seen the Butlers in times of plenty and in times of poverty.  In times of plenty, they always shared their bounty, and in times of poverty they never lost their faith in the goodness of God.  In all the years we have ministered together at the Landmark Holiness Church, they have always been faithful friends as well as a caring and concerned pastor and wife.
The main message behind Bro. Jeff’s ministry is that no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, there’s room at the cross for you, and you can start over!  Whether directing a youth camp, preaching a revival, participating in a town function, holding a nursing home service, having a fun night with the youth, or being a devoted dad and granddad to his boys (Kris, Michael, and John David) and their families, Bro. Jeff Butler is an outstanding minister of the Word of God.  We’re proud to have him as our pastor!

About our Pastor's Wife

Written By: Rebecca Watkins

Since 2016, I have been up under Sis. Butler. I call her Mom number one or Momma Butler. Sis. Shelia is Mom number two. That's because, when I got saved I kind of got adopted by everyone in the church. But, Momma Butler and I became closer than anyone. She took me under her wing, and has taught me for over 8 years now. Everything she knows. I remember coming to church, a single mom of 2. Broken, abused, and a mess. Mom number one spent countless hours teaching me to pray and to read the Bible. She taught me how to rebuke the devil, submit to God, and to keep going forward. 

She prayed me thru so many trials and heartbreaks. She carried me thru a lot when I was too weak to do it myself. I dare say, she fought Hell for me. Some of the most important lessons she has taught me is the importance of having a personal and imtimate relationship with God. She is very annointed, and I am honestly scared to not listen to her. If she says it's not a good idea then you should probably listen. She knows what she is talking about. She taught all us girls the importance of the Holy Ghost. The old time Holy Ghost power with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Not to mention, the years of counseling on how to be a godly wife, and worshiping even when I don't feel like it.

It's a joke around her, but she is sort of a matchmaker. I am one of her succesful stories. My husband and I have been happily married for several years now. You may be asking, why is she counseling you and teaching you so much? Well, I came from abuse and truama I needed someone to love me. Someone to teach me how to be godly. In 2016, she asked me if I was teachable, because she wasn't going to waste her time. I said, yes. It has been my privellage to be able to soak up her knowledge. I want to make it to Heaven, and I trust her with my soul. She's proven herself to be godly in the way that she lives. 

There are so many more things I could say. She is a wonderful singer, and has taught me how to harmonize and switch parts. She even taught me to not be prideful. When I did get prideful she moved me from high harmony to alto until I learned my lesson. Im so glad she did. I'd rather be annointed than talented. She taught me that too. Most importantly, she taught me to love others. We go on the streets to the broken, abused and addicted. The people whose lives are so infected with sin. Those are the ones she taught me to love. I now have a Sunday school class  full of kids who live in poverty. Whose homes are broken, and they face situations that most adults would never be able to understand. But I've been where they are., and I had a pastor's wife that fought Hell for me. She loved me when I was unloveable. So, now I do the same for them. 

I often times think of who I would be had not Momma Butler took me under her wing and loved me when I was all alone. I realized, that she is just doing what Jesus does. He takes the ones that the world calls trash, and he loves them. He changes them and cleans them up. Then he teaches them. Gives comfort and counseling, and when we need it, He disciplines us. The definition of a Christian is being Christ like or being a mini Christ. I'd say that Sis. Butler is the very definition of that. She is the mirror of Christ. I've watched her and Bro. Jeff give all that they had to others. In pain from a weary body, tired from late nights of prayer and counseling, and without complaint and joy in their hearts they keep going. I love my pastor and pastor's wife very much. I know I'm not a great writer, but I hope this helps paint a picture of who Sis. Butler is.

-The Church Brat