Dr. Jerry St. John

Dr. Jerry St John, age 93, of Columbia died on Thursday, May 14th, 2026, after a brief illness. His celebration of life will be held on Sunday, May 31st at 3:00 pm at First Baptist Church Columbia in Boyce Chapel. There will be a reception hosted by the church in Ellis Hall immediately following the service. His burial, at Bush River Memorial Gardens, will be private.

Dr. St John was born on October 13th, 1932, in Moorehouse Parrish, Louisiana, but he grew up in Warren, Arkansas. He was the son of E.W. and Ora Belle “Sue” St John. Dr. St John was the husband to the late Erkle St John for 66 years. It was in Warren, Arkansas that Dr. St John became a Christian in 1943. He joined First Baptist Church in Warren and surrendered to the calling of gospel ministry in 1951.

For his education, Dr. St John attended Warren Public Schools where he was the class president of his senior class and a member of the high school band. After his high school graduation, Dr. St John attended the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut before transferring to Ouachita Baptist University. It was there that he met and married the love of his life, Erkle Kessinger. While a student at Ouachita University, he was ordained by Immanuel Baptist Church in 1952. He was also the pastor of 2 churches during this time, New Liberty Baptist in Hermitage Arkansas & Wooster Baptist in Wooster Arkansas.

After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University, Dr. St John went to Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in Mill Valley, California where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity, a Master of Theology and a Doctorate in Ministry. While in school in California, he served as music director at Calvary Baptist in Berkley. It was in Berkley that Dr. St John started learning sign language in 1960. He also served as the Director of Deaf Ministries at University Baptist Church in Oakland. He interpreted sermons and directed music while at University Baptist.

In 1963, Dr. St John and Erkle were appointed by the North American Mission Board as missionaries to the deaf in Mississippi. He established literacy programs and statewide interpreter training while in this role. In 1971, Dr. St John coordinated with a TV station in Jackson, Mississippi, WJTV, to use American Sign Language to broadcast the 5pm news. This enabled the deaf to have this type of access for the first time. He served in this role for 11 years.

In 1975 Dr. St John and his family moved to Columbia SC when he accepted a position as field missionary to the deaf. This ministry soon expanded to Language Program Leader for the South Carolina Baptist Convention, with an emphasis on deaf ministries but also included a ministry in other areas, including migrants. He served with the SC Baptist Convention for 22 years before retiring in 1977. In 1995, Dr. St John was one of the founders of the Tri-state school of theology to train deaf pastors. He taught at Tri State after his retirement & served on the Advisory committee.

Dr. St John was an active member at First Baptist Church and involved in many ministries during his long tenure; Sunday School teacher, a Bible study leader at retirement homes, a Deacon, a bus driver for the International Ministry, a deaf interpreter for sermons, and member of the volunteer building maintenance team.

The last Sunday morning service Dr. St John was able to attend at FBC was May 3rd. One of his biggest fears that he verbalized was becoming an “armchair Baptist.” He loved First Baptist Church and attending services. He was assisted in attending the last several weeks of his life by members who volunteered to transport him to and from the services. He truly appreciated this help.

After his oldest son, David, passed in April 2025, Dr. St John became very tired. He verbalized feelings of loneliness & isolation. But as he was growing weary and becoming forgetful, he stressed that he wanted to emphasize some major themes of his life in his obituary. These are some of those themes.

“When God opens a door, you walk through it.”

“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one.”

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

Finally, in his own words, he wrote that some would remember him as a man of many stories, most of which were true. He found that statement to be hilarious. But he also requested to be remembered as a simple man with a simple story who loved God.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tri State School of Theology for the deaf, Duluth GA or First Baptist Church Columbia Annie Armstrong offering.