MURRELLS INLET, S.C. — The congregation of Lowcountry Community Church held a celebration of the life of their pastor, Robbie Martin, Sunday evening and it was anything but a normal funeral service.
Martin, 48, died March 10 after suffering a heart attack. He was pastor of the church better known as LC3 since 2004. He was an avid music fan, so the service was a concert in his honor.
He is credited for helping the church bounce back after the former pastor, Troy Taylor, was arrested for sexually assaulting four children.
He was later sentenced to two life terms in prison.
Sunday’s service attracted hundreds who said they had been impacted by Martin through the years.
It was led by Steve Fairchild, the LC3 minister of music, who is also a Garth Brooks impersonator at Legends in Concert.
Mixed in with contemporary “praise and worship” music were renditions of Bob Seager, the Temptations, Elvis Presley and Rod Stewart.
Fairchild said it was a “rock the flock” service which began with a Christian version of Kool and the Gang’s song Celebration.
The service ended with a Rod Stewart impersonator bringing many to tears as he sang “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” with a photo of Martin on a big screen over his head.
A man of love
Martin’s friends and family who talked about him after the service all used the same word — love.
“He was a shoulder to cry on. We could tell him anything. He would not judge you,” said longtime church member Beth Schumpert.
She also spoke about the rough transition after Taylor’s arrest.
At one point, roughly 700 people attended the church, but following the arrest, that number tumbled to about 50 people, Schumpert said.
There are now about 250 people who attend the church, she said.
“We were broken and he fought for us,” she said.
Laura Bunts, a member of the church for the past decade, agreed.
“Robbie came to fix us. He helped our church through a lot of pain,” she said.
Bunts said he was also very intuitive.
“He had a way he could tap into your pain when you were in crisis,” she said.
Martin’s wife, Lil — a teacher at McDonald Elementary School — said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring the family has received since her husband’s death.
“People wanted to love each other like Robbie loved them,” she said of the huge turnout at Sunday’s service. “He brought them together. This was a tribute of how he loved people. Everybody wanted to be part of the celebration.”
She said after 21 years of marriage, there is nothing about her husband she will not miss.
“He was my life and I loved everything about him,” she said.
The couple has four children; Cookie, Jessica, Tanner and Carley Martin.
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com