House Chaplain Charles Seastrunk gives a thumbs up during a farewell speech for him at the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sam Holland, SC House photographer)
COLUMBIA — For his final prayer as House chaplain, Charles Seastrunk asked God to grant representatives the wisdom to make the best decisions for the state and to accept his departure.
“Continue to restore your blessings upon our nation, president, state, governor, speaker, staff and all who contribute to the good things we have,” Seastrunk prayed to a chamber of bowed heads on Jan. 21, his final day.
After a quarter century reading the House’s daily prayers and offering a spiritual shoulder for representatives to lean on as needed, the 94-year-old then stepped down from the speaker’s podium for the final time. As he made his way to the back of the chamber, representatives stood and applauded.
“When I was here, I enjoyed every minute of it,” Seastrunk told the SC Daily Gazette. “There was not anything that I disliked.”
Seastrunk offered his resignation from the House after a health scare over the summer that made him fear he wouldn’t be able to continue his duties for the 2026 legislative session, which runs from January through May.
His health improved, but House leaders had already found a replacement.
The House unanimously elected the Columbia-based Rev. Jeff Lingerfelt, who runs outreach ministry Capitol Ambassadors, to serve for the rest of the year. Representatives will hold another election for chaplain next year, though they tend to keep one person in the role.
That was the case for Seastrunk, who served for either 23 or 25 years, depending on who’s counting. House records suggest he was first elected in 2002, but Seastrunk says that’s wrong and he was elected two years earlier, making his total tenure 25 years.
Seastrunk first learned about the job when then-Speaker David Wilkins called and asked him to take over following the previous chaplain’s death. A member of Seastrunk’s congregation at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Pelion, a town of fewer than 1,000 people in Lexington County, had recommended Seastrunk for the job, and Wilkins agreed he’d be a good fit.
There was just one catch, Wilkins told Seastrunk: The House might not be able to pay him.
That was fine, Seastrunk replied. He’d be honored just to do the job. Seastrunk ended up getting a stipend anyway, but he would have done the work for free, he told House Speaker Murrell Smith on the day of his retirement.
“We’re going to get a refund on our money since he told me that today,” Smith joked in his farewell speech.
Smith, a Sumter Republican first elected to the House in 2000, can’t remember hearing anyone else’s voice opening each day of session from the podium, he said. Throughout the tumult of politics, Seastrunk always led members in their moment of reflection before the day’s work on the floor began.
“He has been a constant for all of us and a friend to all of us,” Smith said.
Seastrunk’s favorite part of the job was getting to interact with the 124 representatives and the staff who composed the chamber.
He remembers times when he was so engaged in conversation during debate that the speaker had to come tell him, “Chaplain, cool it down,” he said.
Seastrunk watched the House’s turnover from the podium that looks out over the House chamber.
Every two years, when every member of the House is up for election, Seastrunk would look out and see new faces among the crowd. For him, that simply meant more people to meet, he said.
“Just being here was fun,” Seastrunk said.
Born in Virginia, Seastrunk came to South Carolina to attend Clemson University, which was still known at the time as Clemson College. He went on to earn degrees from Newberry College and Lutheran Theological Seminary.
He also spent 35 years as a chaplain for the Air Force and served in the National Guard and Army Reserve, according to a biography commending his work.
He plans to spend his retirement with his wife of 70 years, Sarah Truesdell, and his two children, he said.
After a lifetime of service, Seastrunk couldn’t recall a single challenging moment working in the House. He didn’t want to leave, he said on his last day.
He didn’t have to, Smith told him.
“As the good Bible says, there is a season, and your season has come,” Smith said. “But don’t be a stranger. Please come back.”
Seastrunk plans to do so, he said.
“I’ll miss it,” Seastrunk said. “Twenty-five years, and I’ll miss it.”
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
