How We Began
In 1910, a new bridge opened connecting Camden to Lugoff. Members of Bethesda Presbyterian Church living in Lugoff were blessed by much easier access to their church. However, in 1916, that new bridge washed away. Church members then faced a river ford crossing to attend church.
The members of Bethesda Presbyterian church living in Lugoff asked the pastor, Rev. Jesse Rowan, to hold services in Lugoff. He agreed and crossed the river every Sunday afternoon to hold worship services in Lugoff.
In his honor, the folks called it Rowan’s Chapel.
It did not take long for those families to see the need to transform that chapel into a church. One family donated the land and the group began raising funds for their first building.
One of the main sources was the donation of milk from a family’s dairy farm. This milk was turned into ice cream and sold to the community. With those funds, the cedar shake shingle sanctuary was constructed in 1925.
The original sanctuary was moved once more to its current location, on the backside of the property next to the fire department, in 1969. This was done to make room for the construction of our wonderful fellowship hall.
In the 100+ years that Rowan Presbyterian Church has existed, the Lord has provided enough resources for the property and buildings to be constructed without ever having to go into debt.
The 1970s were a tumultuous time for the Presbyterian world. All Presbyterian denominations were seeming to be embroiled in wars concerning the veracity of God’s Word, church property rights, the nature of the church, the nature of God, the role of women in the church, and a whole host of other issues. At the end of the 1970s, the ARP denomination had decided to strive to honor Christ by keeping His commands. In 1980, Rowan Presbyterian Church decided to leave the PCUS and join the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP).
In the 100+ years of Rowan’s history, God has equipped many men and women to exercise their faith, raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and strive to worship Him in spirit and truth. The Lord’s calling to love God and love one another is the goal of this place.
However, this is not something that we have attained, but something we strive after. The grace of the Lord is the testimony of Rowan. The property and buildings are a testimony to God’s faithfulness to a people who asked God to meet them where they were. A washed-out bridge created Rowan ARP Church. The people could not get to church to worship, so God brought the church to the people.
This is a beautiful picture of our own spiritual needs. The spiritual bridge was washed out between heaven and earth by the flood of sin in the fall of Adam. God forded the great river and has met with us where we are.
Continued Growth
As the world has stepped out from the worldwide Covid pandemic, the visible church has been forced to ask questions like “who are we” and “where are we going”. At the drafting of this history, the Rowan Presbyterian church is the only reformed covenantal church in Kershaw County.
We are a people committed to learning Christ together. We strive, together, after this goal by the study of God’s Word, worshipping in excellence, connecting, and accountability. We value our reformed heritage and theology greatly as we reach out to the community for Christ and His kingdom.
Rowan Presbyterian church holds a high value on involving the entire family in the life of the church. We encourage parents to bring their children into worship as well as all other activities in the life of the church. The congregation is committed to helping one another train our children to successfully worship the Lord.
Our Future
The Lord has been gracious. It has been 100+ years since a washed-out bridge brought the Lord’s work to Lugoff in the form of Rowan Presbyterian Church. The organization has adopted its mission “Learning Christ Together” and three core values:
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Reformed Theology
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Biblical Worship
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Discipleship & Teaching
To better fulfill the mission, the church has undertaken renovations of our property. These renovations will be completed by (a date that has yet to be determined). Once these renovations are complete, the church’s focus will be on the wildly important goals of learning about who Christ is and pursuing excellence in worship.