On the corner of Church and College streets in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Second Presbyterian Church gathers a PCUSA congregation that has shaped the city as much as the city has shaped it. The church is best known for founding the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen and for its longstanding partnership with Jumpstart Prison Ministry, two outreach efforts that grew from its pews and now serve the wider community. Members describe their life together with three words on the church's masthead: a place to worship, a place to belong, and a place to serve.
From a Mill Church to a Centennial Sanctuary
Second Presbyterian traces its roots to the fall of 1890, when the minister of First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg started a Sunday School mission for workers at the Spartan Mill. Classes met in homes and at the mill store until Mr. and Mrs. H.E. Ravenal donated a lot at Wofford and Wolfe streets, where a small church with an auditorium and a Session Room was built. In February 1891, fourteen members and two ruling elders organized as Spartan Mills Presbyterian Church. The congregation took the name Second Presbyterian in 1900, and in 1907, following a major fire in the mill village, the church moved to its present location on Church Street.
The current sanctuary was built in 1926 and is marking its centennial. Over the decades the campus grew around it: an Education Building was added in 1941 alongside sanctuary renovations and the installation of the organ; another education wing in 1955 joined the buildings and created a fellowship hall; and in 1980 a gymnasium was added, now called the Gus Prill Christian Ministries Building. From its earliest years the congregation has reached outward, supporting the mill community, expanding service during the Great Depression, housing a USO during the war years, and offering worship and fellowship to students from Wofford and Converse colleges.
Four Values Around the Cross
The congregation organizes its life around four values that begin with the word "second." Second Chances expresses a commitment to grace and mercy through programs like Jumpstart Prison Ministry. Second Helpings follows Jesus' example of generosity and service, embodied by the church's founding and continued support of the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen. Second Look reflects a commitment to curiosity and devotion through Bible study and theological education. Second Family names the congregation's calling to community and partnership with neighbors, strangers, and other faith communities. A cross hangs front and center in the sanctuary as a reminder that every program and ministry is meant to be centered on Christ's love.
Sunday Morning on Church Street
Sunday School meets at 9:45 a.m., and worship gathers at 11:00 a.m. in the 1926 sanctuary. The Music and Worship team coordinates with the pastor, Director of Music Heidi Gomez, and organist Kaylene Wilber to plan music, prepare communion, and care for the sanctuary. Services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person, and recent sermons are available as a podcast on Spotify. The liturgy follows the PCUSA calendar, marking Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter with the rest of the Reformed church.
Raising Children in the Church's Heart
Children are woven into the rhythm of Sunday morning. A nursery for newborns through three-year-olds is staffed during Sunday School, worship, and special events. During the 11:00 service, all children are invited forward for a Children's Sermon; afterward, children ages four through second grade may go downstairs to the Children's Wing for Children's Church, where the curriculum follows the same scriptures as the week's sermon. Two multi-age Sunday School classes for elementary children meet at 9:45 a.m. during the school year and often combine for the summer.
Wednesday nights bring seasonal activities, the year opens with a Kickoff Sunday, and special family outings have included river tubing in Asheville. Vacation Bible School in the summer is a particular favorite, with Bible study, music, crafts, and games filling the week. Family Ministry is led by Director Emily Miller, assisted by Keely Wooten.
Youth on Sunday Nights
Middle and high schoolers have their own place in the life of the church. The Youth Sunday School class, for sixth through twelfth graders, meets at 9:45 a.m. and uses the "Echo the Story" curriculum, designed to help young people see the Bible as one interconnected story. The Youth Group gathers on Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. during the school year for fellowship, mission opportunities, trips, and special events.
Adults: Classes, Circles, and Breakfast
Several adult Sunday School classes come together each week at 9:45 a.m. for fellowship, life discussion, and Bible study, with curriculum and topics varying through the year. Faith Tap, held on the third Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., is an informal gathering for families with childcare available at the church during the school year. Presbyterian Women organize Circles for small-group work, study, and prayer, pooling their gifts to support the work of the PCUSA. A Men's Fellowship Breakfast meets every Friday at 8:00 a.m. for a one-hour devotional Bible study and prayer time. Periodic special events round out the adult calendar, including Parents' Night Out, concerts, trips, and mission opportunities.
The Soup Kitchen and Jumpstart Prison Ministry
Two outreach efforts are tied especially closely to Second Presbyterian's identity. In February 1981, members of the church began making sandwiches behind their new gym for a few hungry neighbors. The effort grew from a handful of people to several hundred served daily, eventually evolving into the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen, which obtained its own 501(c)(3) status in 2009 and moved into a dedicated facility on South Forest Street in 2012. The church continues to walk alongside the Soup Kitchen it founded.
Jumpstart Prison Ministry was likewise born from members of Second Presbyterian responding to a calling. A small group of volunteers, many of them retired, began ministering to inmates at the Tyger River Correctional Institution; today more than 150 volunteers each week serve in numerous prison locations across South Carolina, walking alongside men and women from incarceration through re-entry. The Outreach team also supports Mobile Meals and Habitat for Humanity.
How the Congregation Is Organized
Eight Ministry Teams share the work of the congregation. Budget and Finance steward the church's resources; Building and Grounds maintain the campus for members, ministries, and outside groups; Christian Education nurtures disciples and equips them for service; Congregational Life plans fellowship, welcomes visitors, and helps new members plug in; Music and Worship plans Sunday services and the liturgical seasons; Outreach equips the congregation to serve neighbors in need; Personnel supports the staff; and Media and Communications uses technology to share the good news beyond the church's walls. Pastor Hudson Neely leads the staff alongside the Director of Family Ministry, Director of Music, Organist, Administrative Assistant Bethany King, and Facility Manager Joe Moore.