Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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St Timothy Lutheran Church Formed In 7937 NEWS-SUN-CmZEN TRICENTBNNIAL EDITION Newberry County, S. November 12, 1970 III' Nil fill congregation’s heart Other Pastors and Seminary students who have meant a lot to the con gregation daring vacancies In clude Rev. A. W. Ballentine, Rev. George B. Shealy, and Rev. F. Lavaugn Keisler. Memorable events daring Pastor Riddle’s ministry in clude: June 9, 1968, when Mrs. J. B. Baker (“Aunt Dosia*), a charter member and the old est member (now deceased) was honored at the homecoming ser vice. On January 12, 1969, chimes to the organ of the church were given and dedicated to the glory of God and in me mory of Mrs. Elizabeth P. Ki- nard by her husband, B. S. Ki- nard. This meant much to the congregation since Mrs. Kinard has given much time toSt Tim othy playing the organ for wor- ship services. Then on May 17, 1970, St. Timothy held her first confirmation service since 1964. The five members in cluded Betty Kinard, Dickert Lominick, Libby Lominick, Ginny Lominick, and Beth Mc Cullough. As stated in the beginning, the history of this congrega tion is built around a love for Christ, service to the communi ty and hard work. This congre gation enjoys fellowship.. .the fellowship of a congregational meal; the fellowship of the men amid the noise of hammers and electric saws while doing work around the church build ing or parsonage; the fellowship of the women as they make their own set of altar par aments or Chrismons for the tree that beautifies our Christmas wor ship services. It includes the voices and laughter of her young people as they make kits to send our men in service in Vietnam. It includes the hands of love and compassion extend ed by her members in time of death and illness. St Timothy is a congrega tion whose members give un selfishly of their time to the community. One member, Ro- nert Baker, Sr., is serving his third term as mayor of Whit mire. J. L. Hartman, Herman Lominick, Sr., and Ray Lomi nick serve on the Whitmire vol unteer fire department Herman Lominick, Sr., David Mc Cullough, and James Baker work with the local Rescue Squad. Other members serve in various ministeries in the com munity also. Four young men are currently serving their country in military service. They are Harold Gilliam, Her man Robert Lominick, Jr. Ro bert Baker, Jr. and Arthur Welling. In the congregation’s minis try, H. B. McKain has served many years as church treasur er. Ray Lominick is Building Fund treasurer, aminlstrybeld by the late Furman Dickert for many years before his death last year. The pastors of St Timothy include Rev. Raymond Ellsworth (1939-1944), Rev. William Fritz (1944-1947), Rev. G. H. C. Park (1947-1953), Rev. Noah Yount (1954-1964) and Rev. Ralph Riddle (1967- ). R may be noted that two of the five pastors married while in the Unloo-Whltmlre parish. Rev. Ellsworth married MissGussie Mae McDonald and. Rev. Rafeh Riddle married Miss Rosie Godshall while serving the con gregation. The current church council consists of George Felker, Ro bert Baker, Ray Lominick, Ste wart Smith, J. D. Wessinger, J. L. Hartman, Bruce Campbell, H. B. McKain, and A. E. Chap man. The Sunday School Su perintendent is David McCul lough. The organist is Mrs. Rosie Riddle. The President of the Lutheran Church Women is Mrs. Julia Wessinger. Serving as President of tin young peo ple is Beth McCullough. The current baptized mem bership is 77, with 58 confirm ed members and 19 child mem bers. 7882 The history of this congre gation is built around hard work, a love for Christ, and service to the community. The Church, located on Main Street in Whit mire, was given birth as a re sult of a survey made by Rev erend Raymond Ellsworth with the support of the Board of A- merican Missions of the then UCCA. Seventeen confirmed Lutherans were found. This was in 1937. In 1939, the congregation was organized under the guidance of Rev. Ellsworth with 50 con firmed charter members. The name chosen for the new con gregation was St. Timothy. The first church council consisted of W. D. Kibler, Paul Baker, John Counts, Marion King, James Hiller and Tom Stone. Worship services were held in the local grammer school until the Aragon-Baldwin Mill Com pany made available facilities upstairs over the old Whitmire Post Office. Of the 50 charter members of St. Timothy, a doz en members still worship in the congregation. They include Mrs. Vinnie Hiller, Mrs. Eve lyn Yarborough, Mrs. Rosa Lea Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. H. B. McKain, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Baker, Miss Sara Kinard, Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Metis, and Mr. k and Mrs. A. E. Chapj first minister, I gation united with Augsburg, Union, S. C. to form the Unioo- Whitmire Parish. This partner ship in Christ still exists at the present time. In June, 1944, Rev. William Fritz was called to be her pas tor. In July, 1946, Pastor Fritz and his family moved into the new parsonage on Nance Street in Whitmire. The property was donated as a gift to the con gregation by Mr. Ritchie and Mr. Joe Simpson, Jr. In December, 1947, under the leadership of the late Rev. G. H. C. Parks, the congregation purchased an army chapel from Camp Croft, Spartanburg, S. C. Purchased at the bargain price of $4,600, the chapel was moved to its present location on Main Street and located on a lot given by the Aragon-Baldwin Mill Company. It was then brick ve neered. A beautiful church was the result. Inside the church, the cre ativity of Pastor Parks is evi dent. The chancel was rework ed and given a more worshipful atmosphere. The beautiful stained glass window of Christ kneeling in prayer in the Gar den of Gethsemane is an ex ample. It reminds the worship per of those agonizing moments of our Lord, yet at the same time fills the worshipper with a sense of peace. The altar of the church came from the National Lutheran Center in Augusta, Georgia. This is the same altar that gave much moral and Spiritual support to our men in service (hiring World War Two. Hun- dre<Js of mni| received the Holy 58 la 1954, Rev. Noah Yount be gan his ministry to the congre gation. His ministry lasted for 10 years until his retirement in 1964. (Rev. Yount still minis ters to congregations in N. C. although he is now 80 years of age.) From her first historical footsteps (first baptism - Syl via Marian Mett, on July 10, 1938; first confirmation class, April 2,1938, consisting of Paul E. Baker, Ruth Baker, William Hiller, and Dorothy Fruit; her first recorded marriage on October 22, 1939, of Elizabeth Piester and Paul McCarley; and her first funeral worship ser vice for H. L. Lipford on Dec. 29, 1942), St. Timothy has stood tall in her ministry of love in Christ. During Pastor Yount’s fruit ful ministry, the congregation became self-supporting in Jan. 1959. On June 14, 1954, the con gregation joyfully celebrated the anniversary of the 25th year of her ministry since organi zation in 1939. The message for the special service was preach ed by Rev. Garth Hill, Dean of the Newberry District at that time. Tragedy touched the hearts of the congregation on July 30, 1959, when a young college stu dent named Alton JeffSummers was killed in an automobile ac cident. This young man, a student at Newberry College, was planning to enter the min istry after graduation. In June, 1967, after three years of being without a full time pastor. Rev. Ralph Rid dle, a seminary student, ac- wepte# * eetete of St Timothy - Augsburg Lu theran Churches. During these three years, the congregation was ministered to by semi nary students and by Rev. Har ry Weber, a professor at New berry College. Pastor Weber, because of his unselfish service to the congregation, will always have a special place in the 1670 1970 Queens Queens Memorial Presby terian Church had its origin as an outpost Sunday School or ganized and sponsored by Ave- leigh Presbyterian Church of Newberry. Rev. C.A. Calcote, pastor of the Aveleigh church, estab lished several such groups as Sunday Schools and was rewar ded to see some develop into self-supporting churches. Queens is one of these. The first gathering was on January 21, 1945, held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. D.P. Queen about five miles from Newberry on the ' Whitmire Highway. Eighty-six people of all ages were present. One week later fifty attended and were divided into classes tau- ght by Aveleigh members. Work was soon begun on the building of a chapel, headed by Mr. D.P.Queen who donated the land and supervised the actual building. Contributions came in rapidly enabling the work to proceed. In the meantime the Sunday School flourished with Mr. and Mrs. Frank R. Higgins actively Presbyterian History supporting it. Much of the suc cess of Queens Memorial must be attributed to the dedicated efforts of Mr. Frank Higgins, then a deacon in Aveleigh, serv ing as superintendent of the Queens Memorial Sunday School for several^ years. Mr. and Mrs. Queen moved from their home to a fil ling station to allow the group to continue meeting in their home until the chapel was finished. On September 3, 1945 Pev. Calcote began a series ofevan- gelistic sermons in the new chapel which continued daily through September 10 th, con cluding with an impressive ser vice during which thirty-four professed faith in Christ These with six received by letter, be came the original members of Queens Chapel, an outpost of Aveleigh Presbyterian Church. Mr. D.P. Queen was greatly rewarded to see the Chapel or ganized in his community and bearing his name. Only a month later he became ill and died. The funeral service was con ducted by Rev. Calcote in the new chapeL Rev. Calcote con tinued to preach each Sunday in the Chapel until he resigned the pastorate of Aveleigh in 1947. Later in that year Rev. Neil E. Truesdeii jecame pas tor of Aveleigh and accepted the leadership of the Queens Cha pel also. Finally the Queens’ member ship felt strong enough to be come established as a self- supporting Presbyterian ch urch. Application was made to South Carolina Presbytery at its meeting on September 28, 1954. The request was granted and a commission appointed to organize as a church on Oct ober 10, 1954, with Rev. Neil E. Truesdeii as pastor of the new church which was named Queens Memorial Presbyterian Church. Today Dr. Truesdeii con tinues to serve as minister and there are sixty members. Eld ers are Messrs. Sam Berry, Fred Harmon and T.O. Bun- dr ick. Deacons are J.B. Brock and J.W. Waites. m ' :'0 : Y 1.664 SOUTH CAROLINA TRICiNTENNIAL 1970 Newberry County's Oldest Textile Manufacturer Many Things Have Taken Place In South Carolina Over The Past 300 The Changes That Have Oc- • • • Years curred Are For The Better — But — For Better Or Worse One Thing That Has Not Changed Is The Pride That The People Of South Carolina Have For Their State. Newberry Mills, Inc. And It's Employees Salute The State Of South Carolina And It's People During This Anniversary Celebration. NEWBERRY MILLS, Tarrant Street An Equal Opportunity Employer Newberry, S. C.