Talking with Pastor Sammie Douglas was like sitting in a pew listening to a Sunday sermon. Everything he shared resounded with his abundant passion for God, his purpose, and his people.
Sammie has been leading his congregation at the Higher Dimensions Ministries in Laurel Hill, North Carolina, (South Carolina Conference; Superintendent Morris Smith) along with his wife, Juanita, since 2012, when they were installed by Bishop Greg Amos. Bishop Amos also helped Sammie by introducing him to the Extension Loan Fund which allowed the church to financially recover from severe debt.
Pastor Sammie Douglas and his wife, Juanita
When led to Higher Dimensions Ministries, Sammie questioned whether he was actually meant to be there. God answered with, “not because of who you are, but who I am.” During his tenure, Sammie has dealt with some racism, but he shared that the enemy will try to attack through a person’s brothers and sisters, and it is okay to resent what was done, but it is never okay to resent the person. We must forgive them and know that it is the enemy fighting against us instead.
Sammie takes pride in recognizing the purpose and destiny that God has provided him and is grateful that he gets to disperse the word of God. He hopes to make disciples through his ministry rather than just church members. He repeatedly mentioned bringing people together to worship, magnify, and glorify God as what matters most, and he is proud to bring different races of people together because of who Christ is in their life.
Pastor Douglas realized he had made an impact during a routine trip to Walmart. While there, a little blonde-headed girl ran to him, looked up with her light blue eyes, and excitedly greeted him without hesitation: “Hi, Pastor Douglas!”
Sammie is also thankful to God for the opportunities that he has been given through IPH like going to Israel and meeting the brothers and sisters he would have never known otherwise. People truly are at the heart of everything Sammie does; his most important focus is to lead people to the Lord and help them be ready when Jesus comes. Conference Superintendent Morris Smith shared, “Pastor Sammie has a heart after God and leads his church family by following the Chief Shepherd.”
Pastor Douglas preaching to his congregation
To help prepare his congregation, he reminds them that “it is not how much you do, but how obedient you are” to what the Lord has asked. Sammie also strongly believes that a person’s circumstances do not determine their destiny: “when you understand who you are, you’re not intimidated because what you have in you is of heaven,” and Sammie’s favorite scripture portrays this as well: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
Our phone call ended with a prayer which reminded me, and hopefully all of you, that, with the Lord, true peace is possible, and we all need to take a step of faith, spread the word of God, and make decisions in faith. God is always on the positive side, and He will always work it out.
