SL Raines was called to preach the gospel in 2003 and formally preached his initial sermon in July of 2004. He was ordained by the New Hope Missionary Baptist Association in June of 2007. He became the 13th pastor of Lillington First Missionary Baptist Church in April of 2012. He worked in various capacities in the New Hope Missionary Baptist Association, Woman's Baptist Home & Foreign Missionary
Convention, and General Baptist State Convention of NC, Inc. Hearing the call of God, he joined the Victory Tabernacle Fellowship in January of 2022 and became an ordained elder. In October of 2022 the Lord revealed a different plan for ministry and led him to plant a church in Spring Lake, NC and the Seed Harvest Christian Center was born. Pastor Raines has also been actively engaged in various civic and community organizations to include serving two terms as president of the Lillington Area Ministers Association, in addition to having also served as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and Parliamentarian, and serving as a proud member of the Alpha Alpha Gamma Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
