A Charleston Congregation Since 1897
First Christian Church sits on Orange Grove Road on the west side of Charleston, South Carolina, a low-slung house of worship that has anchored this congregation since 1975. The church's roots, however, reach back to the spring of 1897, when a revival led by Evangelist J. A. L. Romig filled a wooden Tabernacle on Rutledge Avenue. Families who came forward during those meetings became the core of a new congregation. On April 19, 1897, the local newspaper announced regular services at the Tabernacle under the church's first pastor, S. D. Colyer, and the FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH of Charleston was officially chartered. The body that meets today belongs to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a movement that traces its American origins to frontier revivals in Kentucky and western Pennsylvania.
Sunday Worship at 11:00am
Sunday worship begins at 11:00am at 1293 Orange Grove Road and is also livestreamed on YouTube. The service is intentionally blended, weaving traditional hymns with contemporary praise songs, supported by both instrumental and vocal music. Diana Myers, the Music Director and harpist, brings a Conservatory of Cincinnati background to the role she has filled for more than two decades, and the service opens with warm greetings, shared announcements, and a time of prayer for joys and concerns. The sermon follows, then the offering, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper.
Weekly Communion and Open Doors
Communion is observed every Sunday. As part of the Disciples of Christ tradition, the church welcomes all believers in Jesus Christ to the table, regardless of church membership or background. The congregation practices believer's baptism and a congregational form of church government, and its welcome extends to anyone walking through the door. First-time visitors are routinely greeted and never asked to stand or be introduced to the room; anyone interested in joining may come forward after the service to meet an elder, or speak with the pastor individually.
Bible Study on Wednesday Nights
On Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm, the church gathers for Bible study, currently held over Zoom so members and friends across the area can join in. A daily devotional is offered online as well, giving the congregation a steady rhythm of scripture between Sunday gatherings. Both programs reflect the church's conviction that faith is formed week by week, not only on Sunday mornings.
Leadership and Music
Associate Pastor Claudette President, a South Carolina native, was ordained in 2018 and holds a Master of Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary. She joined the church after years of service in Sunday school, youth choir, praise and worship, and Disciple Women leadership, and she serves as the Disciple Women's staff person for the South Carolina region and as president of the National Convocation. Diana Myers, who has been part of First Christian for twenty-five years, directs music and the harp, leads the youth orchestra, and stages the annual children's and youth Christmas play. Chelsea McCreight, who grew up in the church's own nursery, has cared for the youngest children during worship since 2010, on top of her teaching career in the Charleston County schools.
Children in Worship
Children are welcomed into the sanctuary. A portion of every Sunday service is set aside specifically for them, and a fully dedicated nursery staffed by Chelsea McCreight is available for young children throughout the morning. The church's view is simple: families worship together, and the community makes room for the next generation to learn what that looks like.
The Blessing Box on Campus
Outside the building, the church maintains a Blessing Box stocked with non-perishable food, basic toiletries, and baby supplies. The box is available twenty-four hours a day, anonymously, and runs on a single rule: leave what you can, take what you need. Notes left on the box over the years describe it as a quiet lifeline for families in the neighborhood, and members of the wider community drop off full meal bags alongside regular donors. It is one of the most visible ways the congregation lives out its stated vision of demonstrating true community and a passion for justice.
Trinity Montessori School
The Orange Grove Road campus has hosted Trinity Montessori School for more than twenty years. The school operates on the church's grounds as a neighbor and partner, weaving another layer of family life into the property and giving the church a daily presence beyond its own Sunday and Wednesday gatherings.
Women's and Men's Groups
Fellowship lies at the heart of the church, and two organized groups carry much of that work. The Women's Group gathers around Bible study and shared worship, building supportive circles for women in the congregation. The Men's Group, known as the CMF, came together on September 7, 2024 for a breakfast meeting with live music and a guest speaker, and continues to meet monthly for fellowship, food, and conversation about faith and responsibility. Monthly potluck luncheons and group dinners add to the rhythm, and the church's Christmas Eve service - sung together outside the building as the band plays - has become a touching annual tradition.
Reaching Beyond Charleston
First Christian's outreach extends well past West Ashley. The church supports the Disciples Mission Fund, the denomination's Mission Fund that underwrites domestic and international ministry, and Week of Compassion, the relief, refugee, and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. It also supports the fourteen colleges and universities historically tied to the Disciples tradition. Locally, donations help fund building repairs and the Blessing Box, and a portion of giving goes to expand outreach for neighbors facing hardship.
Visiting First Christian Church
Visitors are warmly received at 1293 Orange Grove Road. Sunday worship is at 11:00am, and a large parking lot makes arrival easy. There is no dress code; people come in their Sunday best and in casual clothes alike. Communion is open to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, and the pastor is glad to talk with anyone considering joining. The congregation's stated mission is to be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving from its own doorstep to the ends of the earth - a fitting summary for a church whose Charleston story began at a revival tabernacle and continues, a century and a quarter later, on Orange Grove Road.