Posts by Category: News

By Jessica Brodie. When Harry White learned one of his fellow church members could not go home from assisted living because the man couldn’t access the house in his wheelchair, his heart was stirred. Immediately, White and other church members knew what had to be done. “We need to build a ramp for him if we’re ever going to get him back home again,” said White, a member of St. John United Methodist Church, Lynchburg. Now, White and others in the district have a drive to build even more ramps for people with accessibility troubles.

By Laura Camby McCaskill. One pastor has a passion to reach the unreached with new options for those who come to worship. Dr. Clay Faulk and his wife, the Rev. Beth Faulk, have been serving Lee Road United Methodist Church, Taylors, since 2017. Now, with the help of the Greenville District and other community and church support, they and a team of others have raised the funds to convert a gym next door into a new worship space they call “Connect Church.”

By Jessica Brodie. South Carolina church leaders eager to dig deeper into what church truly is and discover new ways to bring others into the flock will gather again this month, Nov. 16, to take their ideas to the next level.

COLUMBIA—Washington Street United Methodist Church recognized the 40th anniversary of its Soup Cellar Oct. 20. The recognition was held in the fellowship hall of the church immediately following the 11…

By Jessica Brodie. A United Methodist pastor, the Rev. Walter C. Ballenger III, has had his charges dismissed and his record expunged after spending the last four years fighting to clear his name. Now, he is hopeful his clean record will help him get reappointed as a pastor.

The recent Bishop L. Jonathan Holston Golf Tournament held at the Orangeburg Country Club Sept. 30 raised more than $22,000, which will benefit Africa University and students throughout the African continent. By William Hamilton.

It’s been 13 years, and The Lord’s Ladle Café soup kitchen at Goose Creek United Methodist Church is still going strong.

Men from across South Carolina will head to Mount Horeb United Methodist Church Feb. 28-29, 2020 for the South Carolina UMC’s annual Men N Ministry event.

By Jessica Brodie. The Rev. Ken Nelson has been tapped as South Carolina’s episcopal nominee by the South Carolina delegation to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional conferences. Nelson will be among those considered for the role of bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction’s 15 annual conferences when the next Jurisdictional Conference is held beginning July 15, 2020. At least five episcopal openings are expected as bishops currently serving in conferences shift into retirement.

By Jessica Brodie. Two and a half years after a construction fire destroyed its sanctuary, members of Advent United Methodist Church are back in their building and ready to embrace all God has planned.

By Jessica Brodie. A new Epworth hub to help foster families and children in the Lowcountry is now up and running.

By Laura Camby McCaskill and Jessica Brodie. One United Methodist pastor—the Rev. Tim Whited—is on a mission to extend theological education to prisoners at Lee Correctional Institution, one of South Carolina’s maximum-security prisons.

By Jessica Brodie. In an active shooter situation, churches can’t wait five to seven minutes for first responders to arrive. Church members are the true first responders and need to be actively engaged in protecting their own lives. That was the gist behind a church security seminar by SMCI attended by a host of United Methodist pastors and church leaders, as well as leaders from other denominations across the state.

By Jessica Brodie. Roughly 70 percent of people in South Carolina do not go to church, and that’s not OK for a group of United Methodists who are hoping to do something to change that number for the better. They are hoping a one-day event, “Fresh Expressions,” will be a step in the right direction. On Oct. 5, the Orangeburg District of the South Carolina Conference is hosting a daylong gathering to help churches reimagine what it looks like to do church. While the district is sponsoring it, the event is open to all people throughout the state.

By Jessica Brodie. One year after Hurricane Florence, and on the heels of narrowly missing a hit this fall from Hurricane Dorian, United Methodists across South Carolina got a chance to help people impacted by the storm in a conference-wide Disaster Recovery Day of Service.

By Jessica Brodie. Mount Horeb—the largest-membership United Methodist church in South Carolina and the fifth-fastest growing Methodist church in the U.S.—is celebrating this month. Not only has it paid off in five years its $17 million building campaign and land debt, but it has also contributed more than $5 million above and beyond toward mission work outside its church.

By Jessica Brodie. One church in the Upstate now has a new children’s building and an expanded sanctuary to address the growing size of its congregation.