In 1866, under the leadership of Ishmel
Moultrie, the Edisto United Presbyterian Church was organized from a
group of people who gathered in homes to have prayer meetings. Mr.
Moultrie was a man of foresight and vision. As a result of his hard
work and dedication, he was given the honor of being the first
untrained minister to be ordained by the First Negro Presbytery of
Catawba in 1866.
Realizing the importance of holding his
people together, Rev. Moultrie took the initiative and built the first
Negro church on Edisto Island out of palmetto branches. A few years
later, the congregation was able to obtain a church that was being
used by the white people during the summer months of Edisto Beach.
This structure was taken down on the beach in pieces and brought from
Edisto Beach to J. G. Murray's landing on a barge. The lumber was then
hauled to the site of the old church and rebuilt just as it was on the
beach. The church began to grow under Rev Moultrie's leadership until
his death in 1892.
From 1892 to 1964, six dedicated,
courageous ministers served this church and saw it grow and prosper in
the service of God. In 1964, Reverend McKinley Washington, Jr. was
ordained by the Atlantic Presbytery and became the pastor of the
Edisto United Presbyterian Church. He immediately joined hands with
the membership of the church to implement many major fund-raising
programs to build a new edifice. One major fund-raiser was an Annual
Homecoming Program and Rally, brought to the Edisto field under the
leadership of both Reverend and Mrs. Washington and chaired by Elder Lillian
Spears. The land for the church was donated by two sisters, Mrs.
Gertrude Johnson and Mrs. Ethel Foreman, and on February 8, 1970, the
new edifice was dedicated.
The goal of the Edisto United
Presbyterian Church is MISSION, within and out of the church. Under
the leadership of Rev. Washington, many social and community-oriented
programs have been founded. The church houses a Child Care program for
infants and toddlers of working parents. The church purchased the old
white school building for cultural, economic, recreational, and
educational programs in the community. The church continues to provide
leadership in the church and community.
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