Clearwater
South Carolina
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Midland Valley First Church of the Nazarene
History
Midland Valley Church of the Nazarene looks back upon its heritage with a heart full of gratefulness to the eternal God who has blessed this church so much over the years. We want to share just a little of that heritage with you, so that you will know us better. We continue in writing new pages in our heritage. Please come and join us.
In August of 1938 a series of revival services were started in Langley, South Carolina as a result of one man's vision and willingness to obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Reverend E. N. Gunter was the evangelist with a vision. He was assisted by Rev. Lundon Hutto, who led the singing. Rev. Hugh Slater played the guitar and sang. These three great men felt that the Church of the Nazarene had a needed message of full salvation. They believed that God's blessing would be upon the church as they endeavored to start a work in what was known as the Valley. God did bless and with seven charter members Calvary Church of the Nazarene was born on August 23, 1938.
The first services were held in a rented tent. The Georgia District Superintendent was generous enough to lend Rev. Gunter $15 to acquire a tent. It is reported that it rained every night of the revival. However, this did not keep the people from attending. They came every night and held their feet high to keep them out of the water. A severe storm split the tent, but with needle and thread the three men were able to repair the tent.
With seven charter members, Roy W. Stewart accepted the call to be the first pastor. They worshiped in the tent until another storm completely destroyed it and forced them to hold services in the parsonage. Rev. Stewart led the congregation in building a new structure approximately half a block off Highway 421. New members were added regularly as the church continued to grow.
From 1944 to 1949, the Rev. James Blackmon led the church in spiritual and numerical growth. In 1949, about the time the Dupont company was arriving, Rev. Harry Liner accepted a call to pastor the church. The church experienced good growth, especially due to the large numbers of families moving into the area with the Dupont company. The congregation out grew the original building and erected a new brick sanctuary on the corner of 4th street and Highway 421.
From 1953 to 1972, Reverends Cook, DeShon, Ponce, Forman, Taylor and Condry served as pastors. During 1972, the second building underwent remodeling. Rev. John Williamson led the church through 1975 with continued growth and construction taking place. From 1977 to late 1987, the church was led by Reverends Marshall Copen and Charles Fountain.
In September 1987, almost as validation from God of the vision of Rev. E. N. Gunter, his grandson Rev. Dwight M. Gunter, II, accepted the call to pastor the church. In November of 1990, our church family moved to its current home on U.S. Highway 1. Rev. Gunter served as pastor until December 1994. In March of 1995, Rev. Alan Foster began his ministry with us. God continued to bless our church with increasing membership and the start of our Victorious Vision campaign in 1997. This campaign enabled us to expand our church facilities to include a larger nursery and additional classrooms. In 1998, we opened the doors to the Midland Valley Children's Learning Center, our new full-time daycare and pre-school program. In May 2000, Rev Scott Ostendorf began leading our church into the new millennium. Under his leadership we have added a second Sunday morning worship service called SonRise Celebration that meets at 8:30 a.m. and features contemporary music, relevant drama, and casual dress. In January of 2002, we purchased an additional sixty acres of land adjacent to our present campus for future expansion of our ministries.
Midland Valley Church of the Nazarene looks back upon its heritage with a heart full of gratefulness to the eternal God who has blessed this church so much over the years. We want to share just a little of that heritage with you, so that you will know us better. We continue in writing new pages in our heritage. Please come and join us.
In August of 1938 a series of revival services were started in Langley, South Carolina as a result of one man's vision and willingness to obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Reverend E. N. Gunter was the evangelist with a vision. He was assisted by Rev. Lundon Hutto, who led the singing. Rev. Hugh Slater played the guitar and sang. These three great men felt that the Church of the Nazarene had a needed message of full salvation. They believed that God's blessing would be upon the church as they endeavored to start a work in what was known as the Valley. God did bless and with seven charter members Calvary Church of the Nazarene was born on August 23, 1938.
The first services were held in a rented tent. The Georgia District Superintendent was generous enough to lend Rev. Gunter $15 to acquire a tent. It is reported that it rained every night of the revival. However, this did not keep the people from attending. They came every night and held their feet high to keep them out of the water. A severe storm split the tent, but with needle and thread the three men were able to repair the tent.
With seven charter members, Roy W. Stewart accepted the call to be the first pastor. They worshiped in the tent until another storm completely destroyed it and forced them to hold services in the parsonage. Rev. Stewart led the congregation in building a new structure approximately half a block off Highway 421. New members were added regularly as the church continued to grow.
From 1944 to 1949, the Rev. James Blackmon led the church in spiritual and numerical growth. In 1949, about the time the Dupont company was arriving, Rev. Harry Liner accepted a call to pastor the church. The church experienced good growth, especially due to the large numbers of families moving into the area with the Dupont company. The congregation out grew the original building and erected a new brick sanctuary on the corner of 4th street and Highway 421.
From 1953 to 1972, Reverends Cook, DeShon, Ponce, Forman, Taylor and Condry served as pastors. During 1972, the second building underwent remodeling. Rev. John Williamson led the church through 1975 with continued growth and construction taking place. From 1977 to late 1987, the church was led by Reverends Marshall Copen and Charles Fountain.
In September 1987, almost as validation from God of the vision of Rev. E. N. Gunter, his grandson Rev. Dwight M. Gunter, II, accepted the call to pastor the church. In November of 1990, our church family moved to its current home on U.S. Highway 1. Rev. Gunter served as pastor until December 1994. In March of 1995, Rev. Alan Foster began his ministry with us. God continued to bless our church with increasing membership and the start of our Victorious Vision campaign in 1997. This campaign enabled us to expand our church facilities to include a larger nursery and additional classrooms. In 1998, we opened the doors to the Midland Valley Children's Learning Center, our new full-time daycare and pre-school program. In May 2000, Rev Scott Ostendorf began leading our church into the new millennium. Under his leadership we have added a second Sunday morning worship service called SonRise Celebration that meets at 8:30 a.m. and features contemporary music, relevant drama, and casual dress. In January of 2002, we purchased an additional sixty acres of land adjacent to our present campus for future expansion of our ministries.