Rev. A. Vincent Barber Sanders Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Public Viewing for Rev. A. Vincent Barber Sanders will be Tuesday, April 21, 2020 from 4:00 P.M till 7:00 P.M. at A. A. Dicks Funeral Home Sullivan Chapel, located 2548 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Graveside Services will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 11:00 A.M. at The Promised Land Cemetery, located 1740 Cushman Drive, Columbia, SC 29204. Interment will follow in The Promised Land Cemetery. Rev. Albert Vincent Barber Sanders, a native of Columbia, SC, was the son of Mrs. Lizzie (Aaron) Sanders and the late Mr. Alfonso Sims. On April 2, 2020 death appeared and faith pointed him to the light of resurrection beyond the grave. He was a 1998 graduate of Columbia High School, where he served as leader of the Columbia High Air Force JROTC Drill Team, member of Concert, Jazz and Marching Bands and lettered as a proud member of the Columbia High Capitals Varsity Football Team. After graduating, he attended Midlands Technical College as a criminal justice major. He also studied at Morehouse Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) of Atlanta, Ga. via satellite school hosted by Bethlehem Baptist Church, College Place and the Biblical Studies Program at Andersonville Theological Seminary (Andersonville, GA). Rev. Sanders became fully aware at an early age of the Call from God to minister through music. It was under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. C. A. Faulk that he began to demonstrate his musical gifts alongside his father, Aaron Sanders, at the Bethlehem Baptist Church, College Place in Columbia, SC. His church music ministry began at age 17 when he began rendering service at Round Top Baptist Church, Blythewood, SC. Thus followed a span of 21 years serving several churches in the Columbia and surrounding areas including, Round Top Baptist Church, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, Bethlehem Baptist Church of Lyon Street, Jerusalem Branch Baptist Church, Sally, SC, New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Swansea, SC, Daniel Circle, Fort Jackson, SC, Friendship Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, Second Nazareth Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, New Ebenezer Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, Grace Christian Church, Columbia, SC, Gill Creek Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, Fort Clark Baptist Church, Elgin, SC, Greenview First Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, Zion Canaan Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, and Tabernacle of Praise International Ministries, Irmo, SC. He also served as Music Director for the Cedar Branch Association Youth Choir with choir director James A. Williams, best friend, and Organist/Musician for In His Presence Ministries. He served as Music Director for the Midlands Chapter Choir of the Gospel Music Workshop of America Inc., as well as Director of the Gethsemane Baptist Association Youth Choir, the SC Congress of Christian Education State Youth Mass Choir, and the SC Educational & Missionary Convention State Youth Mass Choir. Acknowledging that God requires us to share our gifts with others for the benefit of His Kingdom, Rev. Sanders served as a clinician for workshops on praise and worship, choir etiquette and choir spirituality for churches in Columbia, SC and surrounding areas as well as in the Washington D.C. area and in the city of New Orleans, LA. He has also served as a teacher in the Youth Division of the SC Congress of Christian Education as well as with the Young People’s Christian Assembly hosted by Benedict College. He has also utilized his musical gifts alongside such recording artists as Lamar Campbell, Troy Sneed, Byron Cage, Vicki Winans, Monique Walker, Earl Bynum, Paul Porter, Adrian Green, Zacardi Cortez, and one of his musical mentors, David R. Curry Jr, Minister of Music of the Mississippi Mass Choir. God blessed Rev. Sanders to take his talent to national venues through his service as Music Director for the local recording group, Eternal Voices. During this time Eternal Voices appeared twice on Bobby Jones Presents, a show on The Word Network where Dr. Bobby Jones showcases newly found gospel artists. The group also wrote a movie from the soundtrack on its CD "Addicted”, featuring original music written by Rev. Sanders. Under his musical direction, Eternal Voices was voted South Carolina Gospel Recording Artist of the Year (2010) by the South Carolina Music Awards. The listening audience of WFMV Gospel 95.3 voted the group to open for Bishop Hezekiah Walker concert at the SC State Fair (2012). In 2012, Rev. Sanders moved his musical ministry to another level and founded Divine Purpose Ministries, a ministry dedicated to the instruction and mentorship of young people who desired to use their gifts in the service of The Lord. Also at this time he co-hosted “The Empowerment Hour” Sunday evenings on NHISG Gospel 107 Radio with Rev. Edward Taylor. Prior to moving to Michigan, Vincent shared some of his funniest and fondest musical moments on “keys” accompanying his family TC1 Musick Group aka The Chosen Ones of Columbia, SC in rehearsals, recording sessions and ministry engagements. In October 2019, he enhanced the availability of Divine Purpose with the development of a virtual online music school for up and coming musicians. Rev. Sanders’ dedication to music was recognized by the Midlands Coalition of Churches in 2013 and granted him The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award. He also received the Chief Musician Award at the David Lakin, Sr. Memorial Celebration in 2018. Realizing that his Call into the preaching ministry was a Divine Assignment, he preached his initial sermon and was licensed at the New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Swansea, SC on May 19, 2006. After faithfully serving as an Associate Minister at Bethlehem Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Anthony A. McCallum and the Second Nazareth Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Johnny Ray Noble Ph.D, Rev. Sanders was ordained by the Gethsemane Baptist Association on July 25, 2015. Rev. Sanders had a passion for cooking that was fully encouraged by all who had the opportunity to experience his culinary skills. In 2010, this passion brought his vision to fruition with the launching of Vinny’s Velvety Cheesecakes. Following Ecclesiastes 3, “there is a time…”, he was an avid wrestling fan (#1 Supporter of The Undertaker) and enjoyed playing Xbox Live. He also had blue, silver and white coursing through his veins as an insatiable Dallas Cowboys Fan. Rev. Sanders’ philosophy for life was “I dare not take any task lightly but approach it with a sincere, dedicated, committed, and determined will to serve as a vessel of the Most High. Every opportunity to demonstrate or use the gift that God has endowed me with is my opportunity to return it as an offering of thanksgiving unto God for making me an instrument of His choosing.” Rev. Sanders was proceeded in death by Annie Rainey Miller, maternal grandmother; Taft Adams, maternal grandfather; John Sims, paternal grandfather; Frank and Lizzie Rainey, maternal great-grandparents; James and Ethel Sanders, paternal grandparents; Caleb Rainey, great uncle; Mary Taylor, aunt; and Timothy Rainey, uncle and protector. In addition to his parents, he leaves to cherish fond memories: his loving wife Latresa Barber, Detroit, Michigan, whom he loved dearly; sisters Patricia (Charles) Gilmore, Jr. and Deborah (Daniel) Myers, Jr., both of Hopkins, SC, Lolita (David) Patterson, Jr., Chapin, SC and Keisha (LJ) Williams, Columbia, SC; brother, Alphonso (Loretta) Robinson, Burlington, NJ; aunts Vera (Maurice) Dozier, Virginia Beach, VA, Minnie Davis, Leslie (Demetrius) Gilmore, Adrian Adams, and Christy Adams, all of Columbia, SC; Terry (Luther) Young, Beaufort, SC; Lisa (Robert) Griffin, Blythewood, SC and Pat Rainey, West Columbia, SC; uncles, Edward (Dorothy) Rainey, Conyers, GA; Jeffrey (Minyan) Rainey, Columbia, SC, Lorenzo (Beverly) Sanders, Elgin, SC, Marcus Adams and Eddie Dukes, Columbia, SC; great-aunt, Maggie Rainey, Eastover, SC; four nieces, five nephews, eight great-nieces and two great-nephews. His heartstrings were his two God-Children: protege and nephew RQuan S. Tyler with whom he had an inseparable bond of love, music and guy time; and Ashley A. Green whom he loved teasing 24-7, both of Columbia, SC. Rev. Sanders touched the lives of many and has definitely left a mark on this side! Left to carry on his legacy of love and good will to all are many family members and friends. Please leave the family your condolences and prayers. The Sanders family, acknowledges with grateful appreciation, all of your kind expressions of love and sympathy. Thank you for helping us care for our families. A. A. Dicks, Sr. and Staff.

Rev. A. Vincent Barber Sanders

August 15, 1980 - April 2, 2020