Two Congregations Purchase Property for Future Church Buildings

In March it was time for Messiah, Myrtle Beach; and just last week, it was time for St. Francis, Edisto Island to take a turn at purchasing property on which they plan to build their future churches! It's an exciting time in the Diocese of South Carolina!
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Messiah, Myrtle Beach
When members of Messiah, Myrtle Beach learned in 2022 that they would not be returning to their previous church home (lost in the diocesan schism), they put their plans for the future in high gear. After gathering for church regularly for the past decade in temporary spaces, they assembled a Vision & Property Team that led them through this lengthy process, which including multiple meetings and retreats with Ann Fleming of the Episcopal Church Building Fund to truly discern their needs and options for the future. 

After a tremendous amount of vision discernment and property analysis, the team found a three-acre parcel that would make a great new church home located at the corner of 38th Avenue and the 17 Bypass. The diocese provided additional support as Messiah is one of our congregations that lost their church property, and the property purchase was approved by the Standing Committee in July 2024. The purchase became final when Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley signed the documents on March 17, 2025. 

The photos above show Bishop Ruth signing the documents, along with a map showing the location of the property, and a drawing of a possible church plan.

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St. Francis, Edisto Island
Over on Edisto Island, the church that began as The Episcopal Church on Edisto after losing their church home to the schism, officially changed their name to St. Francis Episcopal Church last year, not long after calling their first rector, the Very Rev. Joseph Smith. For the majority of the last decade, the congregation has rented the historic sanctuary of the New First Missionary Baptist Church for their weekly services, but they have longed to find something more permanent if they were not able to return to their historic church home. Unfortunately, they also learned in 2022 that they would not be returning, so they began thinking about a new space to call their own.

The search continued in earnest this year when the congregation located a five-acre piece of property at 505 Highway 174 on Edisto Island (which includes about three acres of marsh bordering on Fishing Creek). Over the last week, the purchase became official! Now the congregation will begin more focused discernment on what they will build, and also increase efforts to raise money for their Property and Building Fund. Learn more on their website at this link.

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley and members of diocesan staff continue to work with congregations about their own property hopes and needs. It's an exciting time for growth in the Diocese of South Carolina.

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