On a wooded knoll above Tom Hall Street in the small Carolina town of Fort Mill, Unity Presbyterian Church has gathered almost every Sunday since March 18, 1788. That is six months after the Constitution was signed, a year before George Washington took office, and eighty-five years before Fort Mill itself was chartered as a town. The brick sanctuary built in 1881 still stands beside the larger worship center that opened in 2010, joined by a fellowship hall, a ministries building, a columbarium, and a prayer labyrinth whose stones rest where a beloved parish hall once burned. The motto beneath the name of the church is simple and longstanding: United in Christ's love, we glorify God through worship, nurture, and service to all people.
Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight Years on Church Hill
The story of Unity began in the wilderness that would one day become Fort Mill. In the 1760s, a pioneer named Thomas (Kanawha) Spratt, en route from Charlotte to Abbeville, stopped for a night in Catawba territory and was persuaded by tribal leaders to stay. He settled near Webb's Mill on Steel Creek, and his homestead grew into what would eventually become the town. The settlers who followed came from England, Scotland, and Ireland, brought their Presbyterian faith with them, and by the middle of the 1780s were numerous enough to call for a minister.
Rev. Joseph McRea, pastor of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Mecklenburg County, rode into the settlement in 1787 and found a scattered congregation hungry for a house of worship. He organized Unity Presbyterian Church on March 18, 1788. The first sanctuary was a hand-hewn L-shaped log building on a high hill overlooking Steele Creek and the Catawba Trading Path (today's Springfield Parkway), and the first cemetery, with a single gravestone still legible after more than two centuries, was laid out behind it. The church was affiliated from the start with what is now the Presbytery of Concord.
The name Unity was chosen on purpose. Rev. McRea and the charter members knew that many of the new arrivals had come from the old houses of York and Lancaster in England and Scotland, where loyalties ran deep and animosities often followed. They voted overwhelmingly to lay those rivalries down and gather under one banner of Christ.
In 1804, only sixteen years after the first log church was raised, a fire destroyed it entirely. A second log sanctuary was built a mile to the southwest on land donated by John Springs, with a fireplace in the session room for winter worship and a free-flowing spring at the foot of the hill where men gathered before services. By the late 1830s the membership had grown restless with that isolated site and voted to move closer to the emerging town. They also voted to change the name to Fort Mill Presbyterian Church, and the second church eventually fell into ruin. A third frame church with a belfry was built in 1838 down the hill on Camden Road (now Tom Hall Street), and for the next forty-two years the congregation worshipped there under ten different pastors.
In 1877 a bell was cast at the Henry McShane foundry in Baltimore and hung in the belfry. At Homecoming Day on September 14, 1924, a motion was made and seconded by descendants of the pioneer Spratt and Bradford families to restore the original name Unity Presbyterian Church. The motion passed eighty-six to three, and the name has been unchanged since.
Three Fires and a Bell That Outlasted Them
The story that runs beneath Unity's architecture is one of fire and recovery, repeated three times. The first sanctuary burned in 1804. The third sanctuary, on Tom Hall Street, burned on a night in 1880, and almost everything inside, including the early records, was lost. The heavy bell crashed to the ground as the timbers fell, and church members walking the ashes the next morning found it intact. It hangs in the belfry of the Historic Sanctuary today, calling the congregation to worship after more than a hundred and forty years of service.
The present Historic Sanctuary was built by hand in 1881 from Fort Mill clay fired into brick on the site, with a Victorian exterior of four spires and tall windows that has changed very little since. An accidental surplus of multi-colored windows, mis-shipped from England to a church in Concord, North Carolina, was acquired for the new building and shipped south by rail. They are the same windows that glow in the chancel today.
On the bitter cold night of December 9, 2018, fire struck for a third time. It started in the wiring behind a small bathroom fan in the 1938 fellowship hall (by then called Unity Hall) and consumed both that building and the two-story Sunday school wing that had been added above it. The flames were visible from across Fort Mill. The Fort Mill Fire Department saved the adjacent 1992 fellowship hall, and the brick walls of the 1881 Historic Sanctuary held, although smoke and water damage forced a long restoration. A construction supervisor took a fire-damaged circular window home, repaired the framework on his own time, and fashioned a wooden cross from a fire-scorched pew to mount in its center; from the ruins, the cross that now overlooks the chancel.
In the years that followed, Unity Hall's foundation became the Unity Courtyard and Prayer Labyrinth, finished in 2021 and registered on the World Wide Labyrinth Locator. The Historic Sanctuary was reimagined into a multi-use worship and gathering space. A compass marker on the courtyard wall notes the latitude, longitude, and elevation of a campus whose dates now span 1881, 1938 (a partial wall), 1992, 2000, 2010, and 2021, all visible from a single standing point in the labyrinth.
The 1881 Historic Sanctuary
For most of its life the Historic Sanctuary was the only worship space the congregation had, and many of its quirks still survive. The original balcony once held a small section for African-American members who had only recently emerged from slavery; it was sealed off shortly after 1900 to make an upstairs room for the Men's Bible Class, then reopened in 1938 with new pews. To the right of the pulpit stood the Amen Corner, where elders sat in pews turned parallel to the wall and were known on occasion to punctuate a sermon with a heartfelt affirmation. The choir loft sat to the left of the pulpit and was once home to a hand-pumped organ requiring a young recruit to work the bellows, later replaced by a foot-powered instrument, and still later by a pipe organ recessed in the back wall.
The sanctuary was refurbished in 1977 and 1978 with a remodeled entrance, new chandeliers and carpet, doubled balcony seating, and repainted woodwork. A brick outdoor conversation area to the left of the entrance was added in 1980 and dedicated to the memory of Melba Cassels Kimbrell. In 1981 the centennial observance brought the opening of the cornerstone, which had been sealed since the laying in 1881. Moisture had rusted the original tin box, but a Yorkville Enquirer of September 1, 1881, a Charleston News & Courier telling of President Garfield's shooting, a list of all 139 members from the founding year, and a near-complete set of coins were recovered and displayed over that August weekend. The cornerstones and elements salvaged from the first site are preserved today beside the sanctuary in the columbarium.
A New Sanctuary in 2010 and the Aeolian-Skinner Organ
By the early 2000s, with Fort Mill's population growing rapidly on the strength of its schools and proximity to Charlotte, the Historic Sanctuary was full twice every Sunday morning. In 2006 the church engaged the WKWW architectural firm of Charlotte. A capital campaign in 2008 raised more than $2.5 million in pledges, and on May 31, 2009, after bagpipes from the Mint Hill Scottish Society, ground was broken. Construction took fourteen months. On Sunday, October 17, 2010, the pastors and congregation processed from the old sanctuary to the new, carrying the cross, Bibles, and hymnals.
The new sanctuary holds roughly 8,000 pieces of hand-cut glass across its windows. The Rose window and the Unity window in the front entry contain nearly 900 pieces between them, and the ten side windows each hold about 712 pieces. Symbols were chosen by the pastors and the building committee and speak to scripture, the cross, hospitality, service, love, music, peace, and the sharing of faith. A 1,800-pound copper-clad steeple was lifted onto the roof in March 2010 before a crowd of more than three hundred, with balloons released at the topping.
The organ is a restored 1936 Aeolian-Skinner, originally built for St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Salisbury, North Carolina, and later moved to a church in Greensboro before Unity acquired it and stored it for twelve years. The pipe organ committee chose John Dower of Lincolnton to restore the original stops and add new ranks in the same style, while the historic sanctuary's console was refurbished and reinstalled. On Sunday, May 15, 2011, Kevin Neel, then a Jacobs Scholar at Indiana University, played the dedication recital on an instrument that the committee described as a prize of tonal beauty.
Inside the new building, hundreds of members, children, and seniors wrote or drew prayers, scripture, and personal blessings onto the sub-flooring of the chancel before it was laid. Bill Bradford, who as a boy had walked up the hill from the frame house next door at four in the morning to fire up the old furnace, wrote a blessing at ninety-four that now rests under the pulpit.
Sunday Worship at Unity
The congregation gathers in the new sanctuary at 8:45 and 11:00 in the morning every Sunday, and both services are also livestreamed. Worship is rooted in what the church describes as its pretty traditional ways: scripture studied seriously, the teachings and actions of Jesus wrestled with in the preaching, and many of the same hymns that grandparents sang. Prayers and sermons engage the challenges of the present day. The hope is that every hearer will encounter something personal, a word of comfort, a call to action, or a deeper connection with the God who loves them.
The Liturgy of the Lord's Supper is celebrated in services throughout the year. A six-week small-group study called Come to the Table is offered periodically for adults who want to explore the history, theology, and practice of communion more deeply.
Children and the Unity Preschool
Children are at the heart of the church's program. On Sunday mornings the nursery welcomes infants through three-year-olds in Rooms S104 and S103 every Sunday during both worship services and the Christian education hour, staffed by paid Nursery Caregivers who together have served Unity's children for more than fifty years. A Children in Worship program gathers children age four (before September 1) through first grade for a special time after the children's message; older children join their parents for the rest of the service. At 10:00 a.m. Faith Formation classes meet by grade in Rooms M203, M205, and M208, with the curriculum built around a Bible story each week explored through crafts, games, drama, and discussion.
The Sunday afternoon program includes Growing Christians, a fellowship for fourth and fifth graders meeting in five-week units through the fall and spring, and two key milestones: a second-grade Worship & Sacraments workshop for children and a parent together, and a third-grade Learning to Use My Bible class that teaches children how to navigate the books, chapters, and verses of scripture.
Summer brings Vacation Bible School in mid-June for four-year-olds through completed third grade, and a Mission Camp for rising fifth and sixth graders who leave the campus each day to serve with local partners around Fort Mill and Rock Hill. The intergenerational Grands Camp each July draws grandparents (or surrogate grandparents) and grandchildren for two days of games, crafts, mission projects, and LEGO building. Every other summer a group travels to PASSPORTkids! Camp at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina for four days and three nights.
Unity Preschool serves children ages two through four on the church campus, with classes placed by age as of August 31. The preschool's mission is to help children learn and grow through developmentally appropriate, play-based experiences in a creative, nurturing Christian environment. Director Linda Bunge leads a staff of highly qualified teachers, and the program is open to families throughout the community.
Youth: From Sunday School to Confirmation
Youth ministry at Unity meets middle schoolers and high schoolers in their own rhythms. Sunday school meets in the Youth Wing (M106 for sixth through eighth grade, M108 for ninth through twelfth) from 10:00 to 10:45, with the middle school group working through the Collaborate and Reform Ancestors curriculum and the high school class engaging in topical conversation about how Christians respond to current events. Sunday nights add fellowship: middle school from 4:00 to 5:00, high school from 5:15 to 6:15, with small group talks and games tying the two together.
A high school Prayer Breakfast gathers on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the school year at 7:30 a.m. in the Youth Wing, with food, fellowship, and devotion. Confirmation is a year-long commitment for eighth graders, using the Big God, Big Questions curriculum to study the Bible, the sacraments, the church, the Trinity, worship, church history, and Reformed and Presbyterian theology. Each confirmand is paired with an adult sponsor outside the family for monthly mentor breakfasts, a day retreat at Bethelwoods Camp and Conference Center, visits to other faith communities, and a written personal statement of faith that is shared at the Confirmation Banquet and Sunday in March.
Mission trips are a regular rhythm. Since 2016, middle schoolers have traveled each June to Asheville to take part in Asheville Youth Mission, working with battered women's shelters, food banks, homeless services, and community gardens in the mornings and faith formation activities in the evenings. High school trips have included weekends at Montreat for rest and worship, mission weekends in Charleston, and past summer work camps focused on disaster relief.
Music Across the Generations
Music is woven through every age at Unity. The Chancel Choir, open to adults and high school youth, rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings most weeks at the 11:00 service and at seasonal celebrations. The Joyful Ringers handbell ensemble rehearses in smaller groups throughout the week and performs at area festivals and in the community. Soloists and instrumentalists play regularly in worship, and children join three ensembles by age: Cherub Choir for children age four (by September 1) through first grade, and Covenant Choir for second through fifth grade, both rehearsing on Sunday afternoons, with a seasonal youth choir for older singers.
Director of Music Margaret Monroe oversees all of these ensembles and welcomes new singers, ringers, and players year-round. The Aeolian-Skinner organ anchors the liturgy alongside the choir and the brass, strings, and percussion that join for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
Adults in Study and Small Groups
Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. offer five overlapping adult classes. As a Child works through the Bible chapter by chapter and is set to study Hebrews in the coming year. Faith Connections uses short video studies and is designed for parents of children, with topics including the Old Testament through Jewish eyes and the Bible's songs of victory, peace, and protest. The Fellowship class runs video-driven studies for adults of every age. The Unity class reads and studies Genesis together in a steady-paced format. The Bereans begins the year with the Early Church through the book of James and offers a hybrid Zoom option.
Weekdays are nearly as full. Monday Musings with Matt meets at 9:30 every week for conversation about the previous Sunday's sermon and scripture, led by Senior Pastor Matt Rich. God's Girls Bible Study meets Tuesdays from 10:00 to noon. Wednesday Bible Study meets from 10:00 to 11:30 and is open to new participants. Morning Messy Motherhood gathers moms of preschool through middle school children on Wednesday mornings to read and discuss a book together.
Women of Unity includes Tony Dehler Circle, which meets the first Monday evening of the month for prayer, Bible study, and a Christmas Auction benefiting the Fort Mill Care Center; Sisters in Service, an intergenerational service-and-fellowship group that meets every other month; and New Horizons Circle, which meets the first Thursday morning to study the Horizons Bible study and support college students and shut-ins. Messy Motherhood also offers evening Zoom sessions for moms with young children. The Men of Unity ministry hosts a breakfast the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 a.m., with a devotional, fellowship, and regular workday service projects including Habitat for Humanity builds and Second Harvest Food Bank distributions.
The Unity Tartan and What Presbyterians Believe
In 2023, on the Sunday of the 235th anniversary celebration, a procession of bagpipes, acolytes, the Tartan, the Bible, and a thirty-member choir moved through the 2010 sanctuary. The new Tartan, designed and registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans, tells the church's story in colors and threads. The blue ground represents the lakes, streams, and Catawba River that made the area hospitable to settlers. The gray threads hold the ashes of the three fires that have damaged sanctuary buildings. The double gold lines mark the path of the Great Wagon Road and the highways that have brought people to this place, the cross at their intersection recalling the cross of Christ. Three double lines speak of the Trinity, and the maroon echoes the blood of Christ.
The church is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), affiliated through Providence Presbytery. Its statement of belief is rooted in classic Reformed language: trust in the one triune God; the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ; the love of God; and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Presbyterians at Unity confess that God comes to us in free and undeserved favor in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose for us. They seek to follow Jesus in the world through teaching the truth, feeding the hungry, healing the broken, and welcoming strangers, and they rely on the Holy Spirit to dwell within them and give energy, intelligence, imagination, and love for that work.
Missions Close to Home and Far Away
Unity's mission commitment reaches in every direction. Hunger relief is a long-running emphasis. Each October's Sharing God's Bounty food drive stocks the Fort Mill Care Center, which itself was founded by Fort Mill pastors in 1987 with a role for Unity that began in the church's old manse. Each November, the congregation participates in the CROP Hunger Walk in Rock Hill. Each September the Money for Meals offering (formerly Dimes for Hunger) supports the Providence Presbytery Hunger Action Team, splitting funds between local feeding programs and overseas partners. Quarterly bloodmobiles are hosted with the American Red Cross.
Housing ministry includes Family Promise of York County; Unity serves as a host site about every six weeks, providing meals and overnight lodging in the Sunday school wing of the Youth Wing. Members also serve on the board of and work alongside Habitat for Humanity of York County, with sixteen-plus years of build and repair days organized by outreach contact Steve Hardy, and they support Pilgrims' Inn, a shelter and transitional housing program for women and children. Health missions include the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN), with two Unity Care Teams serving partners living with HIV, and Palmetto Community Health Care, which provides free primary care to uninsured adults in Lancaster and York Counties.
Children's missions include The Children's Attention Home, a 42-bed emergency and residential shelter, and Thornwell Home for Children in Clinton, South Carolina, a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that Unity supports with a special Thanksgiving offering. Each November the Angel Tree in the narthex gives the congregation a way to provide Christmas gifts for families served by the Fort Mill Care Center, RAIN, and Family Promise.
World missions include Living Waters for the World, a Synod of Living Waters mission that trains teams to install clean water systems; La Misión in Guatemala, with mobile medical, dental, and optical clinics; mission trips every other year to Honduras for building projects; the Blankets+ offering through Church World Service; One Great Hour of Sharing for disaster response and hunger relief; and the July Change for the Church offering, half of which provides school supplies through Foundation for Fort Mill Schools' Classroom Ready project and half of which aids families in Syria through the Presbyterian Church's partner there. The congregation also holds a prayer partnership with the Alma El Chaab Presbyterian Church in South Lebanon, and members are encouraged to join Providence Presbytery's annual adult mission trips.
Stephen Ministry, Kaleidoscope, and the Care of One Another
Stephen Ministry, a one-to-one lay caregiving program, came to Unity in early 2017 and today includes more than twenty trained Stephen Ministers. Members spend an hour each week with their care receivers, meeting people in grief, hospitalization, terminal illness, divorce, job loss, retirement, birth-related transitions, and other difficult passages. Congregation members lead the program.
The Kaleidoscope disabilities ministry works to ensure that all of God's children have a place at Unity. The Buddy Ministry pairs individuals with disabilities with adult or high school teammates who have completed a training and etiquette program and are matched prayerfully with a family. A Sensory Room in the preschool wing, equipped through endowment grants, offers a safe space for children who need a quieter experience on Sunday mornings; sensory bags and noise-canceling headphones are available from the narthex for use anywhere on the campus.
Congregational Care knits the congregation together through the Bereavement Guild, Card and Note Ministry, Prayer Chain (in both phone and email forms), the Prayer Shawl Team, Cookie Bakers, the Kitchen Team, Transportation assistance, Hospital and Homebound Visitation, Food Teams that deliver meals in times of need, the Therefore Group for widowed members, a Lunch Bunch that meets monthly for fellowship, and the Ice Cream Social that draws the whole church together each August. The Health and Wellness team offers twice-yearly CPR and AED classes, a medical equipment closet, weekly exercise for those with Parkinson's, fitness and yoga and line dancing classes for the congregation, and the AARP Smart Drivers Course. The Mental Health Resources list maintained by the Health Ministries team connects members to counselors and services in the Fort Mill area.
Becoming Part of the Congregation
Visitors who are new to Unity are invited to a Welcome Coffee, an informal gathering held four times a year on Sundays from 10:00 to 10:45 in the Fellowship Hall. Children may attend Sunday school with the parents' blessing. Connections classes are offered three times a year, also at 10:00 on Sundays and spanning two consecutive weeks, to give an introduction to the congregation's history, beliefs, staff, and many opportunities for participation. Anyone curious about membership is welcome to attend one or both, and questions about joining are directed to the pastor and staff.
Worship materials, the church calendar, and the livestream are linked from the church's home page. Newsletters are published roughly twice a month. The Unity Preschool is open to families in the wider Fort Mill community. The campus includes a columbarium for the inurnment of members' ashes, and weddings are held in either the Historic Sanctuary or the 2010 sanctuary under a written wedding policy. The labyrinth, the church hill, the fellowship hall, the classroom wings, and the gathering rooms are all open to the life of the church that has gathered on this site since 1788.