|
The name
Bethesda was originally given to a region of York County, South
Carolina, approximately 16 square miles in size. The Bethesda region
was initially populated with immigrants from the northern part of
Ireland, the majority being Presbyterians. Many of these early
settlers came directly from Ireland, while others migrated down from
Pennsylvania or up from the lower part of South Carolina. Early
chronicles show Bethesda Church as located 8 miles SE of York, 13
miles NE of Chester, 20 miles from the Broad River on the West, and
17 miles from the Catawba River on the East.
Bethesda became a preaching station in 1760, the year during which
the worshiping families of the community built a plain wooden
building, located about one mile east of the present church
buildings. Around this place of worship they also buried their
dead. The year of official organization into a church is not known
with absolute certainty, but most sources name the year as 1769.
Since those early days 250 years ago when families first began
worshiping together, Bethesda has continued to grow in Christ,
expand its ministries and provide a Christian outreach the
community. This year we reflect with great humility on our heritage
and the blessings Christ has bestowed on this church.
To commemorate this milestone Bethesda has commissioned a special
anniversary plate. The plate will be a 10 inch gold rimmed ivory
plate. The plate will be printed with the
Settlemyre church sketch on the front
and a brief historical documentation on the back. The cost of
the plate has been set at $30.00 each. Orders must be placed by
March 19th, 2010 to ensure delivery by Homecoming on May 1st.
|
Close