Story highlights Brookland Baptist Church's congregation had a surprise visitor Sunday afternoon when Sen. Bernie Sanders popped in for an unexpected stop during Sunday supper

The Democratic presidential candidate, coming off a loss to Hillary Clinton Saturday in Nevada, worked the mostly African-American crowd

West Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) Brookland Baptist Church's congregation had a surprise visitor Sunday afternoon when Sen. Bernie Sanders popped in for an unexpected stop during Sunday supper here in West Columbia.

The Democratic presidential candidate, coming off a loss to Hillary Clinton Saturday in Nevada, worked the mostly African-American crowd, stopping to shake hands, take photos and hug a few small children who ventured up to him.

Sanders, campaigning in the Palmetto State ahead of Saturday's upcoming primary, was joined at the church by his wife, Jane, and also Ben Jealous, the former NAACP head who has endorsed Sanders.

After mingling for a bit, Jealous introduced Sanders to the crowd as people milled around with plates of food.

"This is the most important place in the country right now," Jealous told the crowd of a couple hundred people. "And you are the most important voters in the country right now. And there are people who will say to you, there's a dreamer who's running for president. And his dreams are so big, y'all shouldn't dream that big. But in our community when they say, 'Don't dream big,' we say, 'Yes we can.' And so I ask you ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to dream big?"

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