At a service of celebration Sept. 3, Brenda Jeffcoat was remembered as a professional, cheerful servant who prioritized her life around faith, family, church, and the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Jeffcoat, 50, died Aug. 30 following a five-year battle with a brain tumor.
Brenda JeffcoatJeffcoat served as a member of the SCBC staff for 25 years, from 1979 to 2004, serving as the executive assistant to executive director-treasurers Ray Rust and Carlisle Driggers. She left the convention staff on medical disability in 2004.
“During my 17-year tenure with the state convention, there was no one at the convention building more well-known, respected, or adored than Brenda Jeffcoat,” said Driggers, who spoke at the filled-to-capacity service at State Street Baptist Church, Cayce. Driggers, retired and now living in Georgia, is the SCBC executive director-treasurer emeritus.
Driggers described Jeffcoat as professional, cheerful and priority-minded. “She was always eager to help others with a servant mindset,” he said. “On my worst day, she was a source of cheer. She had an infectious laugh, and always had time for everyone. She loved people and people loved her.
“She was a model of professionalism in her appearance and her ability to work with others,” Driggers said. “She had her priorities in order and she stuck to them. First, she loved Jesus, and always thanked and praised him. She loved her family. She loved her church and she loved the South Carolina Baptist Convention. I told her many times that I was just a hired hand, but she was the sweetheart of the Executive Board.”
Rust, from his home in Garland, Tex., said, “Brenda – was well organized, but her chief asset was a combination of pleasant, optimistic personality and her genuine commitment to the Lord. She was a part of everything good that happened during my tenure.”
Former SCBC coworkers and friends attended the service at State Street Baptist, where Jeffcoat served 25 years as church pianist, taught children’s choirs, and directed the men’s ensemble.
State Street pastor Tommy Pillow, preaching from Revelation 21, said of Jeffcoat, “You could see Jesus in her heart. It was said that her piano playing was a sermon in itself.”
Jeffcoat is survived by her husband of 30 years, Michael C. Jeffcoat, two children and her mother. – SCBC