A church family on Queenie Road with a heart for the whole community — feeding neighbors, lifting voices, and making disciples for Jesus Christ.
Canaan Christian Church was established in 1893 under the leadership of Elder B.J. Footman, with the cooperation of the late Amanda Smith and family and other devoted founders — a small group determined to plant a church that would impact its community. Generations later, under Elder Jacob Jamerson and Elder Ezekiel Smith, Sr., the congregation purchased the land where our present sanctuary stands today.
As a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) led by Pastor Larry Mazyck, Sr., we gather at the Lord's Table and welcome all who seek Him. Canaan Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is committed to making disciples while educating, empowering, and equipping believers for the work of the Ministry. Ephesians 4:11
We want to live like Him. Give like Him. Serve like Him.
Pastor · Canaan Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Pastor Larry Mazyck, Sr. leads our congregation as Canaan celebrates 133 years of ministry, 1893 to 2026. Called into the ministry while serving at Canaan, and ordained here as a Deacon, he now serves this congregation as its pastor.
Committed to making disciples while educating, empowering, and equipping believers for the work of the Ministry. Ephesians 4:11
Called to Lead. Committed to Serve.
General Christian Church (DOC) in United States & Canada — Identity / Mission
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord's Table as God has welcomed us.
South Carolina Region Identity / Vision / Mission Statement
We are Disciples of Christ in South Carolina committed to the strengthening and development of our congregations so that we may serve our neighbors — here...and everywhere. — Mat. 22:36–40
Canaan Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Mission Statement
Is committed to making disciples while educating, empowering, and equipping believers for the work of the Ministry. Ephesians 4:11
As members of the Christian Church, we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.
In Christ's name and by his grace, we accept our mission of witness and service to all people.
We rejoice in God, Maker of heaven and earth, and in God's covenant of love which binds us to God and one another.
Through baptism into Christ, we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit, we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ.
At the table of the Lord, we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ. Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture.
In the bonds of Christian faith, we yield ourselves to God, that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory, and honor be to God forever.
AMEN
In 1893 — just twenty-eight years after emancipation — a small group of people in the South Carolina Lowcountry gathered with the desire to plant a church that would have an impact on their community. They were the sons and daughters of the enslaved: the first generations of their families to live free on this land. Under the leadership and guidance of Elder B.J. Footman, and with the cooperation of the late Amanda Smith and family and others, they established Canaan Christian Church — and they named it for the promised land.
Consider the world in which they built it. Two years after Canaan's founding, South Carolina's 1895 constitution would strip Black citizens of the vote and write segregation into law for generations. In that world, the church was the one institution Black families owned and governed entirely for themselves — their sanctuary, their school, their aid society, and their voice. The founders were devoted to Christ and did not mind staying up all night with people who were seeking the Lord — the old Lowcountry way of seeking, prayed through until morning.
As the years went by, the old building where the congregation worshiped began to deteriorate. Under the leadership of Elder Jacob Jamerson, and with the cooperation of Elder Ezekiel Smith, Sr. and others, the church purchased the ground on Queenie Road and, in 1943 — in the depths of the segregation era, when little was given and everything was earned — built the sanctuary where we worship today. It was paid for by the tithes, offerings, and labor of working families, and it has belonged to this congregation, free and clear, ever since.
That is the inheritance we carry: land owned for over eighty years, a witness sustained for 133, by a people who came out of bondage and built something that endures. We celebrate our church anniversary each year, looking back over the blessings of the past and forward with anticipation for what the Lord will do. It is a time of remembrance, and a time for all who have been part of our church body to come home.
Twenty-eight years after emancipation, the first free generations of their families establish Canaan Christian Church under Elder B.J. Footman, with the Amanda Smith family and other devoted founders — and name it for the promised land.
In the depths of the segregation era, under Elder Jacob Jamerson and Elder Ezekiel Smith, Sr., the congregation purchases its own land and builds the present sanctuary — paid for by the tithes and labor of its families, owned free and clear ever since.
Elder Elouise Smith is ordained as the first female Elder in the history of Canaan Christian Church.
Led by Pastor Larry Mazyck, Sr., Canaan celebrates 133 years of ministry while developing its campus into a community resource center serving all of Berkeley County.
In 2009, Canaan ordained Elder Elouise Smith as the first female Elder in the church's history — a milestone in more than a century of raising up servant leaders from within this congregation.
Through 133 years — from the first generations out of slavery to the present day — the Lord has raised up faithful servants from within this congregation: founders, ministers, missionaries, elders, and deacons whose labor built the church we inherit today.
The founding generation
Ministers who received their calling while serving at Canaan
Recipients of missionary certificates
Including those ordained at Canaan
Servants of the table and the congregation
Shepherds who led this congregation
Honored for a lifetime of faithful service
The Church Board consists of all Elders and Deacons.
Our confidence is only in Jesus. He alone can complete what He started. And 133 years since the beginning of Canaan — through fellowship, discipleship, worship, ministry, and evangelism — we are on our way to better. God is richly blessing us. That is a reason to celebrate.
Hot meals prepared and served with dignity for neighbors in need across the Moncks Corner community. A grant-funded ministry, served alongside our Food Pantry.
Serving 12 PM–2 PM · Dates vary, subject to change Coordinator: Elder Kenneth L. Ancrum, Sr.Groceries and staple foods for neighbors and families in need through our Mass Food Distribution, typically every other month, made possible by individual sponsors — so that no one leaves without food for the days ahead.
Coordinator: Elder Kenneth L. Ancrum, Sr.A grant-funded mentoring program walking alongside at-risk youth in our community with guidance and encouragement.
Coordinator: Evangelist Georgianne EdwardsFree summer meals for all children ages 18 and under — every child is welcome. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Weekdays in SummerFellowship, prayer, and service among the women of Canaan — encouraging one another and strengthening families.
Led by Elder Patricia Simmons · Vice-President: Evangelist Georgianne EdwardsBrotherhood, accountability, and service — including our annual Men's Conference each fall.
President: Minister Matthew Smith · Vice-President: Tevin StevensA lively ministry growing our young people in the Word of God, in character, and in community.
President: Sonovia W. AncrumAdult and youth Sunday School classes, growing disciples of every age in the Word of God.
Sundays · 9:00 AM · Superintendent: Minister Liza JamersonLifting hearts in praise each Sunday — music that carries the worship and the Word.
President: Theresa Jamerson-Jefferson · Vice-President: Patricia SimmonsHonoring and caring for the seasoned saints of Canaan through fellowship, arts and crafts, nourishing meals, social outings, and gentle exercises.
President: Elder Kenneth L. Ancrum, Sr.The doorkeepers of the house — welcoming every worshiper and keeping order in the sanctuary with grace.
President: Felisha President · Vice-President: Dora SimmonsServing the pastor and pulpit in worship, ensuring every service is prepared and supported.
President: Elder Barbara WilliamsExtending the warmth of Canaan through fellowship meals, receptions, and care for guests and members alike.
President: Deacon Blondell MitchellStewarding the house of God — keeping our sanctuary and campus clean, maintained, and ready for worship and service.
Elder Abraham Gene Smalls & Deacon Blondell MitchellCaring for the church cemetery with reverence — maintaining the resting place of the generations who built Canaan.
Chairperson: Elder Kenneth L. Ancrum, Sr. · Groundskeeper: Minister Matthew SmithOur campus at 1232 Queenie Road is being developed into a multi-use community resource center — a home for feeding programs, youth and family services, meeting space, and empowerment initiatives serving all of Berkeley County.
It is a facility for the whole community, built on ground our congregation has stewarded for generations.
Sunday worship streams live each week on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Follow or subscribe to get notified when we go live.
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house." — Malachi 3:10
Canaan Christian Church is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
