The Church God Sews in Clifton

Introduction: Clifton’s Story and Ours

Clifton Manufacturing Company was founded around 1880 by Dexter Edgar Converse. The mills were built along the Pacolet River—Mills No. 1, 2, and later 3—turning out cotton cloth, employing hundreds of operatives who lived in the nearby houses. In its early days, Clifton No. 1 had some 7,000 spindles, 144 looms, and roughly 600 workers living in the village.

In June 1903, tragedy struck when a massive flood swept through the Pacolet Valley. Entire mills and homes were washed away, families devastated, lives uprooted. But the mills were rebuilt. The community carried on.

In its heyday, Clifton was more than industry—it was community. Rows of houses, children walking to school, neighbors gathering at the store, families worshiping together on Sunday. For many, church wasn’t just something you did; it was the glue that held life together. The whistle of the mill ruled the week, but the sound of hymns and preaching ruled Sunday. The church was central, not because it competed with other attractions, but because it was woven into the very fabric of life.

And yet, the mills are now silent. Machinery gone, homes changed, the roar of looms just memory. But the church remains. God’s people gathering, generation after generation, clinging to the promise of Christ: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against

Alternate intro

If you walk the streets of Clifton today, you see a quieter place than years gone by. The houses still line the roads, the Pacolet River still flows by, but something is different. Once, Clifton was a thriving mill village. The sound of looms and machinery filled the air as the textile mills roared to life. Families lived close together in company housing, children played in the yards, neighbors borrowed sugar from one another, and the church was the very heartbeat of the community.

Sunday wasn’t just another day—it was the glue that held life together. Men and women would walk down the hill to church, dressed in their Sunday best. They sang the hymns of faith, they sat under the preaching of God’s Word, and they leaned on one another in hard times. The mill may have provided the livelihood, but the church provided life.

But times changed. The mills closed. Families moved away in search of work. What was once a bustling community became quieter, thinner, scattered. For some, it felt like the end of an era.

Yet here’s the truth I want you to hear this morning: scattering is not the end. In fact, scattering is often the very way God does His greatest work.

We see this in the book of Acts. In the first seven chapters, the church is thriving in Jerusalem. Thousands are coming to Christ. Miracles are happening. Bold preaching fills the temple courts. But then opposition rises. Stephen is stoned to death for proclaiming Jesus. Persecution intensifies. Believers are forced out of Jerusalem. To the world, it looks like defeat. To the early church, it must have felt like loss.

But Acts 8 tells a different story. What looked like scattering was really sowing. The gospel didn’t stop—it spread. The church didn’t die—it multiplied.

And that’s what I want us to see today in Acts 8:4–8.

Let’s read it together.

Acts 8:4–8 ESV

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

Catch Phrase: Where God scatters, He also sows.

1. God’s Purpose in Our Scattering (v. 4)

Luke tells us, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”

The word scattered here is important. It’s the same word used of a farmer scattering seed across a field. The enemy thought he was crushing the church by driving it out of Jerusalem. But in reality, he was only helping spread it. The seed of the gospel was scattered, and everywhere it landed, new life sprang up.

Notice what didn’t happen. The believers didn’t go into hiding. They didn’t go silent. They didn’t form a secret club to wait out the storm. Verse 4 says they “went about preaching the word.” Now, that doesn’t mean they all became pastors. The Greek word used here for “preaching” is euangelizo—it simply means to announce the good news. Ordinary men and women shared Jesus wherever life took them.

Scattering, in God’s hands, is never without purpose.

Think of Joseph in the Old Testament. He was torn from his family, sold into slavery, and carried away to Egypt.

That’s scattering. But God was sowing Joseph there to save not only his family but a whole nation during famine. What looked like tragedy was really strategy.

Think of Paul. Scattered across the Roman Empire by hardship, imprisonment, and shipwreck. Yet everywhere he went, churches were planted, lives were changed, and letters were written that still shape us today.

Nugget: Scattering is not the same as silencing.

Application: Sometimes, our lives feel scattered too. A job change you didn’t plan. A family member moving away. A health crisis that changes everything. It feels like disruption, loss, even defeat. But could it be that God is sowing you where you are? That He has placed you there on purpose?

Illustration — The Bamboo Tree: In the Far East, farmers plant bamboo trees that don’t break through the ground for five years. For five years, the farmer waters the soil, day after day, but nothing shows. Then, suddenly, in the fifth year, the bamboo shoots up 90 feet in just six weeks. What was happening? For all those years, it was growing roots strong enough to support what was coming.

Maybe you feel like nothing is happening in your life. Maybe you feel scattered and hidden. But God may be building roots beneath the surface—preparing you for a season of growth you cannot yet see.

2. God’s Call in Our Scattering (v. 5)

Verse 5 says, “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.”

Philip didn’t retreat. He didn’t say, “I’ll wait until the storm passes.” He went. And notice where he went—Samaria.

Now, Samaria wasn’t exactly friendly ground for a Jewish man. Centuries of hostility divided Jews and Samaritans. Most Jews would walk miles out of their way to avoid Samaria altogether. Yet Philip went straight into that uncomfortable place and boldly proclaimed Jesus.

Here’s what’s remarkable: Philip wasn’t one of the apostles. He wasn’t a professional preacher. Back in Acts 6, he was chosen to help serve food to widows. But now, scattered by persecution, God calls him to proclaim Christ in a hard place.

Nugget: God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.

Application: Every one of us has a “Samaria”—a place we’d rather not go, a person we’d rather not talk to, a situation we didn’t choose. Maybe for Clifton, it’s the reality of being a smaller town now, a church that isn’t as big as it once was. Maybe for you personally, it’s a workplace you don’t enjoy, a neighbor who’s difficult, or a season of life you didn’t ask for.

But here’s the truth: God may have sown you there. He may have put you in that very place to proclaim Christ. Sharing the gospel isn’t just for pastors or missionaries. It’s for every believer. Wherever life scatters you, God calls you to sow His Word.

3. God’s Power in Our Scattering (vv. 6–7)

Look at what happens when Philip obeys: “And the crowds with one accord paid attention…unclean spirits…came out…many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.”

The gospel Philip preached wasn’t just words—it was power. Lives were set free. Bodies were healed. Communities were changed.

The gospel still has that power today. It may not always show up in dramatic signs and wonders, but make no mistake: the gospel transforms lives. It heals broken hearts. It restores families. It brings peace to troubled minds. It delivers from addictions. It reconciles what the world says is beyond repair.

Nugget: The gospel doesn’t just inform; it transforms.

Application: Our world is filled with brokenness. People are searching for hope in a thousand places—success, entertainment, relationships. But only Jesus brings true healing. And He has placed us as His church right here in Clifton to carry that message of hope and healing.

4. God’s Result in Our Scattering (v. 8)

Verse 8 says, “So there was much joy in that city.”

That’s the end result when Christ is proclaimed, when the gospel is received, when lives are transformed—joy. Not temporary happiness, but deep, abiding joy.

Think about it: in Jerusalem, believers were weeping over persecution. In Samaria, they were rejoicing over salvation. What looked like defeat in one place became victory in another.

Nugget: When Jesus enters a community, true joy follows.

Application: Clifton may not echo with the sounds of the mills anymore. But it can still echo with the joy of Christ. The joy of salvation. The joy of community. The joy of a Savior who never abandons His people.

5. Clifton’s Opportunity Today

Here’s what excites me about this moment: Clifton is not finished. Spartanburg is growing by leaps and bounds. All around us, new neighborhoods are rising. The old Glendale Mill just down the road has been transformed into loft apartments. Families are moving in. Young people are looking for community. Growth is happening in every direction.

And right here sits Clifton First Baptist Church.

Friends, do you see the opportunity? God has sown you here in this season. He has positioned this church for such a time as this. Just as Philip proclaimed Christ to Samaria, you and I are called to proclaim Christ to a growing community right outside these doors.

We would be wise to let Acts 8 be our guide. When God scatters, He sows. When communities change, God positions His church to make a difference. Clifton’s past is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Its present is an opportunity for God’s mission. Its future can be filled with joy if we will rise to the moment and be faithful to proclaim Christ.

Conclusion: Clifton’s Story in God’s Hands

The mills are silent. Families have scattered. Clifton is not what it once was. But listen—neither was Jerusalem in Acts 8.

What looked like loss was really sowing. What felt like scattering was really God planting seeds in new soil.

Homecoming reminds us of the past. But it also calls us to look forward. To ask: “What is God sowing now?”

The promise of Acts 8 is this: where God scatters, He also sows. He is still building His church. He is still working through His people. He is still bringing joy to communities, one heart at a time.

So here’s my question to you today: Will you let God sow through you? Will you trust that even in seasons of scattering, He is working for His glory and your good?

Because if He can use Joseph in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, Paul in the Roman Empire, Philip in Samaria—then He can use you in Clifton, South Carolina.

Invitation

This morning, maybe you feel scattered. Maybe life has carried you into a place you never planned to be. Hear this truth: God has not abandoned you. He has planted you. And He wants to sow His gospel through you.

If you don’t know Christ, today is the day to receive Him—the source of true joy.

If you do know Him, today is the day to recommit—to say, “Lord, wherever You’ve placed me, I will proclaim You.”

Catch Phrase (repeat): Where God scatters, He also sows.