CHURCH HISTORY AND COMMUNITY

Initially, the congregation worshipped in the old Chapin Methodist Church building, fondly referred to as the old rent-a-church because so many congregations have worshipped there. We shared the building with the Roman Catholic Mission until March 1985 when we moved into our current facility shown on the opening page of this website and below. This award-winning facility was designed by Architects Boudreaux, of Columbia.

St. Francis has been blessed by the services of a number of excellent vicars and priests. The Rev. Elizabeth Libbey became Vicar in May 1986 and Rector in 1987 when St. Francis became a parish at the 64th Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. St. Francis of Assisi was the first congregation in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina to be served by a female rector.

Walkway

The Altar

The Fellowship Hall

Our beautiful cross on your left was specially designed and created for St. Francis by Columbia artist, Mike Williams.

Cross in the Narthex

Approximately 450 members make up the congregation of St. Francis of Assisi, located in one of the fastest growing and most desirable areas of South Carolina. We are twenty-five miles northwest of Columbia, the capitol city of South Carolina, and only a few miles from scenic Lake Murray, a popular recreational lake located in the central midlands of our state.

St. Francis of Assisi has a reputation and long standing commitment of outreach service in the Chapin community, as well as in the Diocese and beyond. In the 1980s, St. Francis of Assisi began operating a thrift store, whose proceeds mainly fund the outreach projects of the church. In addition, there are numerous hands-on projects that utilize the time, talent and financial resources to make a difference in the Chapin community.

Chapin is located 16 miles north of Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. The region is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. All of South Carolina is within a three-hour drive of Chapin, making it easy to take day trips to the mountains of the upstate, the beautiful beaches of the coast, or the historical sites of the Low country.

Chapin's climate is so mild that the frogs start singing in February and the leaves don't start turning autumn colors until late October. This allows the Chapin community plenty of time to enjoy the many activities of their backyard lake, or woodlands, or farmland.
See the other attractive sites in our area by visiting the Official Homepage for Chapin, S.C. by clicking on the image.