| The history of Trinity United Methodist
Church in Andrews, South Carolina began in Georgetown on February 23, 1785
when Francis Asbury converted the first Methodist in South Carolina, William
Wayne. Methodism spread into the Andrews area when Harper’s Crossroads
was established in the late 1800s. The first Methodist church in
the Harper’s Crossroads community was St. Paul. It was established
under Mr. Asa Rogerson and Mr. D.W. Avant in 1880.
We know from the South Carolina Methodist
Conference records that by 1903 there was a Sunday school in the community
of Rosemary, which is now Andrews. From local history, we know that
the Sunday school met under the leadership of Mr. Frank Isokreit in his
home. In 1905, a community school was built in Rosemary called the
“Little Red Schoolhouse” where the Sunday school and Methodist Society
began to meet.
In 1908 a church building was built
at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Ashland Street, under the supervision
of Mr. Frank Isokreit. The church was not finished until 1909.
At the South Carolina Conference, the church was named Trinity Methodist
Episcopal Church, South. Their first minister was Rev. W. T. Bedenbaugh.
In 1912, a parsonage was built beside the church.
In 1913, the congregation of St.
Paul Methodist Church united with Trinity, and a larger building was needed.
In 1916, a committee was formed to plan a new church building. Property
on the corner of Farr and Elmwood Avenues was purchased in 1918; however,
it was exchanged with the Rosemary Land Association for the property on
Rosemary Avenue where Trinity presently stands. Under Rev. J.R. Johnson,
construction began on the new church building and was finished in 1927.
The first Trinity church building (on Magnolia Avenue) was sold to the
First Pentecostal Holiness Church.
Trinity entered the Depression with
a debt of $10,000.00. Before the Depression, there was hope for building
a new parsonage and retiring the debt, but times were hard and there was
not much money. In 1934, the parsonage was moved from its old location
to the property beside the church. At last, in 1940, the final payment
was made on the church.
In the 1950s, the old parsonage was
sold and moved south on Rosemary Avenue. Under the leadership of
Rev. W. C. Stackhouse, an educational building with Sunday school classrooms
was added to the back of the sanctuary; also, the present parsonage was
constructed. Individuals and Sunday school classes purchased the
stained glass windows located throughout the sanctuary at a cost of $102.00
each. A heating and air conditioning system made services much more
comfortable.
In 1967 the sanctuary was remodeled
and painted. The dark wood was painted white, wood details
were added around the sanctuary, and the stained glass picture of Jesus
was added over the choir loft. In 1968, the church’s name became
Trinity United Methodist Church.
On its 75th anniversary in 1984,
Trinity United Methodist Church had a membership of 421. In 1996,
Trinity UMC Day Care opened. As the church grew, more space was needed.
Committees were formed, a building program was established, and the plans
for an addition to Trinity were laid. Under the leadership of Rev.
Billy Cooper, ground was broken in October 1996 for the addition of a gym
with a stage and large kitchen, Sunday school classrooms, a choir room,
and a chapel. On Sunday, September 7, 1997 the Family Life Center
was dedicated in a service led by Bishop J. Lawrence McClesky.
On June, 2005, Rev. Sandra Stevens-Poirel,
the first female minister to Trinity, was appointed. In 2006, the
sanctuary was remodeled again. New carpet was laid, and the light
blue walls of the sanctuary were painted yellow. Trinity’s celebrated
its 100th Anniversary on Sunday May 3, 2009. A special banner was
made with the image of the church from Rosemary Ave in honor of the occasion.
We look forward to continue service for another hundred years.
In June 2010, Rev. David Marcy came to Trinity from Kingstree SC. Through
Rev Marcy's spiritual guidance and his blessings, the musical presence at
Trinity has been uplifted, not only for its congregation, but the community as a
whole. He believes in community outreach and encourages community
involvement through the leadership of Trinity's parishioners. |