St. Mark's to purchase Union Church in Port Royal

(St. Mark's Episcopal Church press release)
 
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the Town of Port Royal have signed an agreement for St. Mark’s to purchase historic Union Church from the town. The church is located at 1011 11th Avenue.
 
St. Mark’s, the only Episcopal Church north of the Broad River in Beaufort County, has been meeting at Union Church, a space rented from the Port Royal Historical Society, for the past nine years. During the past two years, the congregation has seen record growth with attendance at Sunday services in 2018 more than double the attendance for the same period of 2017.
 
“We are happy to be part of the Port Royal community, and with this purchase our presence will be permanent,” said the Rev. Roy Tripp, Rector at St. Mark’s.  “Port Royal is poised for growth with the revitalization of the port property and the prospect of new development on Paris Avenue and in other areas of the town. St. Mark’s will be good stewards of a part of Port Royal’s history, while at the same time continuing to be a strong part of the community now and in the future.”
 
Union Church will continue to be an important historical site for Port Royal and Beaufort. Built during the Reconstruction era, the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years the building has been a museum and has been used for various community events, including the site for an acting company.
 
“We believe this is a wonderful situation for both Port Royal and St. Mark’s,” said Tripp. “Union Church has been a gathering place for a variety of events in the community, and we intend to continue that tradition. With St. Mark’s purchase of the building, the community is assured that the building will continue to be used as a house of worship as well as a venue for the arts.”
 
Contact the Rev. Roy Tripp at [email protected] or 843 379-1020, Visit the church online at stmarksc.org and follow them on Facebook.