FAIRFIELD COUNTY — The doors of one of South Carolina’s oldest and most revered rural sanctuaries, the historic Old Brick Church, will open for a Reformation Sunday service on Oct. 25 at 3 p.m.
The special service, which is held only once every three years on the last Sunday in October, is hosted by the Catawba Presbytery’s Old Brick Church (OBC) Commission. Rev. Clint Davis of Chester Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church will preach, accompanied by the Centennial ARP Church Choir. A time of fellowship will follow.
The Old Brick Church is located at 11235 State Highway 213, Jenkinsville.
While the existing brick sanctuary was constructed in 1788, the congregation’s roots predate the American Revolution. The church holds a revered place in regional religious history: on May 9, 1803, the Associate Reformed Synod of the Carolinas was organized within its walls. That body became one of the four founding synods of the broader Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, which had first formed in Philadelphia in 1782.
The sanctuary is also famous for a unique piece of Civil War lore. In the spring of 1865, Union troops damaged the building by ripping out interior floorboards and pews to construct a crossing bridge over the nearby Little River. Remorseful over the desecration, a Union soldier scrawled a penciled apology on the plaster wall to the congregation, which remains preserved and displayed on a commemorative plaque inside the church today.
Repaired after the war, the church continued regular weekly services until 1920. In March 2007, the Catawba Presbytery formed the OBC Commission to maintain the historic structure and grounds and to host commemorative services reminding the region of the church’s enduring legacy.
The service is open to the public, and all community members and visitors are invited to attend.