Welcome

 Our congregation was established in 1830.  

1828:  Mount Calvary began with people worshipping in a “brush arbor” on the banks of the South Edisto River, about a mile from the site of the present church.

February 21, 1830: The first church building – a small log edifice - was dedicated and placed under the patronage of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of South Carolina. From then on it was referred to as Mount Calvary Lutheran Church. The land on which the building stood belonged to George D. Huet, who deeded it to the church with the stipulation that it be “a Lutheran Church”.

1837 - 1899: Because the location of the first church was inconvenient to many of its members, a second church building was erected in 1837 in the old “burying field” on land owned by John Kreps. This location would appear to be about the center of the present cemetery. A third church was built on the same spot sometime in the 1850’s, but was later moved to the southeast corner of the church property, about where the tennis court is now located. A photograph of this church made about 1899 shows a plain, two-story building. It was owned jointly by Mount Calvary and the Masonic Order of Edisto Lodge, which held its meetings on the upper floor even after the fourth church was built.

1926 – 1927: The congregation approved the building of a new and much more ambitious edifice, said to be “one of the largest and most beautiful country churches in the Synod”. The completed building was dedicated on October 30, 1927 (Reformation Sunday). 

$1500 of “seed money” had been left by Mr. & Mrs. Silas Yonce in their will specifically for this project. On April 5, 1927 ground was broken and one month later (May 8) the cornerstone was laid. Many members participated in the building of the church – even women and small children gathered stones used in forming the foundation. The stained glass for the windows, brought by train to Ridge Spring, was hauled in straw-filled wagons to the church site, where it was assembled to form the beautiful windows we see today. The church was completed at a cost of approximately $35,000.

Mid-Century to Present: In 1963, a much needed Educational building was annexed on the left side of the church and connected to it by a breezeway. The Educational building contains Sunday School rooms, a kitchen, meeting room, rest rooms, and offices. Recently, this building was updated with fresh paint, a renovated kitchen, and the addition of a handicapped restroom.

A new Allen Digital Computer organ was installed in 1987 at a cost of approximately $53,000 and dedicated on January 17, 1988. A recital titled “A Musical Journey through the Church Year,” given by Mr. Bobby Woods, organist at Advent Lutheran Church, Martinez, GA, celebrated the occasion.

In 1994, the sanctuary, which featured dark walnut-stained wood with green carpet and appointments, was renovated and redecorated. The dark wood was painted white and ivory; the green carpet was replaced with a deep claret-red one; and pew cushions in the same color were placed in the refinished pews. A second choir loft on the right side (facing the altar) was built, and brass appointments added an elegant look.

Most recently, Mount Calvary built a Fellowship Hall to the rear of the church building. Through the efforts of many members, this structure was finished and dedicated on February 20, 2005 to initiate the celebration of the church’s 175th Anniversary. Not only does the banquet hall accommodate larger crowds than the Educational Building, it also contains a basketball court and fully equipped kitchen. A choir room and Youth Room occupy an upper floor.

The beautiful stained glass windows are a significant feature of the present sanctuary. These were made in Germany and shipped in pieces. They arrived in Ridge Spring by train and were brought to the church site in straw filled wagons, where they were assembled somewhat like putting together a puzzle.

All but three of the windows were paid for by individuals or organizations and typically memorialized family members or friends. The three exceptions were paid for by the Congregation. These are the window over the altar, dedicated to Rev. J.R. Harmon, pastor at time the church was built; the large window in the left transept, dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Silas Yonce, whose bequest of $1,500 initiated the building of the church; and the semi-circular window over the entrance, which reads simply “Mount Calvary Lutheran Church”.

The cost of replacing one of the smaller windows is estimated to be approximately $35,000 –which was the cost of the entire church when it was built in 1934. Each of the larger windows would cost at least three times that amount today, though actually they are irreplaceable

Some 13 markers bear the CSA cross denoting someone who served in the Confederate Army and survived to return home. There are no tombstones of soldiers killed in the war, but records show several sons of Mount Calvary died in the war and presumably were buried on battle fields throughout the South.

World War II veterans buried at Mount  Calvary include one pilot whose plane went down in the English Channel and one survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

While we are not actually in a cow pasture, the church property does border on a fenced pasture, which from time to time is home to a small herd of cows. The cows have been known to congregate along the fence, seemingly listening to the chimes or perhaps noting who attended church that Sunday and who did not. Children, especially those from urban areas, find the cows at Mount Calvary a delight and an attraction. We have always been, and will continue to be, a country church.