Warrenton Presbyterian Church is a

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

congregation located at 133 Watts Road near

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

Abbeville County, South Carolina Abbeville County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 24,295. Its county seat is Abbeville. It is the first county (or county equivalent) in the United States alphabetically. Abbevi ...

History

The church was organized in 1884 by a group of Presbyterians meeting at the Warrenton High School. This group was officially constituted by Presbytery as a congregation on October 31, 1884, with 14 charter members. The first elders of the church were Mr. F. W. Wilson (Francis Walton Wilson) and Mr. George W. Wilson. The Reverend H. Curtis Fennel was the first minister. W. H. Brooks gave an acre of land to the church in November 1884. F. W Wilson, often called the "father of the Warrenton Church," directed the construction of the church building. The building was in use by August 1886, but it was still not completed until 1890. The church building was officially dedicated in May 1891. In 1895, The Reverend Fennel worked at a church in

Toccoa, Georgia Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, Stephens County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located about from Athens, Geo ...

. Warrenton Presbyterian Church then joined with

Rocky River Rocky River may refer to: Localities *Rocky River, Ohio, USA * Rocky River, New South Wales near Uralla, Australia Electorates *Electoral district of Rocky River (South Australia) Streams In Australia: * Rocky River (New South Wales) * R ...

, Lowndesville and Willington churches to call the Reverend Luther Link to serve as pastor. Warrenton held worship twice monthly during this time. The Reverend Fennell returned in 1896 and continued to serve Warrenton until his death in 1927. The Warrenton Presbyterian Church struggled to continue after its longtime pastor died. James Bradley served until his death in 1930, just a few months after starting as Warrenton's pastor. For a few months in 1931, the Reverend A. F. Doty supplied the church with pastoral leadership. The

Presbyterian Church permitted their pastor, George Telford, to provide two afternoon services each month and served the church for a few months. The Reverend M. A. Durant began serving as the pastor of the little church in 1934 and continued until 1941. He returned to the church and served again from 1976 until 1978. He attended both the 50th and the 100th celebrations of the church's anniversary. The Reverend Harry B. Fraser served the church beginning in 1942. He was followed by Ben F. Ogletree. Under Ogletree's leadership, the church voted to build additional Sunday School classrooms, which were completed in 1951 at the cost of $4,000. When Ogletree left in 1952, he was replaced by Allen B. Wells, who served until 1954. Wells was followed by the Reverend Roy Coker. The Reverend Roy Coker led the Warrenton Church into a period of growth. Work on a new Sanctuary began in 1957. The church was completed in 1960 at the cost of $22,000. The first service held in the sanctuary was the funeral of Mr. James C. Morris (February 6, 1960). At the departure of Rev. Coker, two seminary students from

Erskine Theological Seminary Erskine Theological Seminary is an institution of graduate theological and pastoral education. The Seminary is based in Due West, South Carolina, United States, and also offers classes at a second degree-granting campus in Columbia, South Carolin ...

, Frank Neil and George McGill, began providing alternating preaching services at the rural church. The Reverend Bob Pettit started to serve the Warrenton Church in January 1962. When he left late in 1965, the church employed Timothy Fortner as a regular supply to serve until a full-time pastor could be secured. Sidney Ayer was started in 1967, while construction on a manse or parsonage was still being completed. During his ministry, the church reached its highest membership, 151 members. After Ayer, Charles Brown, Marion Canfield, and M.A. Durant served the church. In 1978, Charles W. Davenport began to serve as pastor. During his ministry, the Session and

Diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

combined into a single unicameral Session. When Davenport left in 1983, the church hired Maynard Pittendreigh as pastor. During his ministry, the buildings were refurbished, including the addition of a choir room and a museum. The church celebrated its 100th anniversary and a history of the church was written by Pittendreigh. A Presbyterian People was published by Commercial Press in 1986. The church also elected and ordained its first female elder, Helen Bosler.

References

{{Coord, 34.1520589, -82.4792944, display=title Buildings and structures in Abbeville County, South Carolina Presbyterian churches in South Carolina Churches completed in 1890 1884 establishments in South Carolina Churches completed in 1960