On a quiet street off the main thoroughfares of Sumter, South Carolina, Westminster Presbyterian Church gathers a multi-generational congregation around a simple conviction: that the Bible, taught book by book and preached with care, is the means by which God forms his people. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America, the congregation at 230 Alice Drive has built its life around expository preaching, covenant community, and a clear pattern of disciple-making that begins with worship on Sunday morning and carries through the week in homes, classrooms, and prayer meetings across the city.
Sunday Morning at Westminster
Worship is the highest priority at Westminster. The Sunday morning service begins at 10:30 a.m., and for those who want to come prepared, a full worship guide with the week's Scripture readings, songs, and sermon notes can be downloaded in advance. Discipleship hour precedes worship at 9:15 a.m., with classes for children through adults, so families can arrive early and learn together before the service.
The service is structured, reverent, and rooted in Scripture. A printed worship guide from a recent Sunday illustrates the rhythm: a call to worship drawn from 1 Chronicles, several congregational songs, a corporate confession of faith that mirrors the historic covenant renewal vows used in Presbyterian churches, pastoral prayer, a Scripture reading, the sermon, a closing hymn, and a benediction. Songs blend older hymns like "Rock of Ages" and "Abide with Me" with more recent worship songs such as "Because He Lives (Amen)" and "Sovereign Over Us," all sung under the church's CCLI license.
Visitors will find a relaxed atmosphere with no formal dress code. The church's own description says plainly: "There's no standard 'dress code' for the service. Your presence and engagement in the worship service is more important than your attire." Nursery is available for children three years old and under for the entire service, and an optional Junior Church program is offered during the sermon for children in K4 and K5. Older elementary students remain with their families for the full service. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube, so members who are traveling or homebound can follow along each week.
The Preaching Ministry: Book by Book Through Scripture
The preaching pattern is sustained, verse-by-verse exposition through single books of the Bible, with preaching pastors walking congregations through a single letter or Gospel over many weeks.
Recent series include "Walk the Line" through the book of James (running from May 2026 onward), "I Will Follow Him" through Luke, John, 1 Peter and related texts, "Deep and Wide" rooted in Ephesians and Colossians, "One of Us" through Philippians, Hebrews, Galatians, and John during Advent, and "High Hopes" through Romans, Jeremiah, Lamentations, 1 Peter, and Titus. Earlier series have carried the church through Hebrews in a long walk titled "Don't Stop Believin'," through 1 Corinthians on love, through Ephesians in "Walk This Way," and through the Sermon on the Mount in a series simply called "Good Life." The cadence is consistent: a passage, an extended walk through it, and a clear call to faith and repentance.
Senior Pastor Stuart Mizelle preaches most weeks, with Assistant Pastor Nathan Thomas and ruling elder Charles Higham also taking regular turns in the pulpit. Guest preachers such as Rev. Russ Whitfield, Dr. Chuck Stecker, Rev. Nate Brock, Rev. Devin Coleman, and Rev. Jim Dallery fill the pulpit periodically, often in connection with conferences or men's ministry weekends.
Life Groups: The Church in One Another's Homes
Westminster takes seriously the congregation's life between Sundays. The Life Groups ministry is built around small gatherings that meet in homes around Sumter for shared meals, Bible study, and prayer. Several groups run concurrently, each with its own leader and schedule.
The Chandler/Pritchard group meets the second and fourth Sundays at noon in various homes for a shared meal. The Matthews group follows a similar rhythm, gathering every other Sunday at noon. The Prime Timers group meets on the second Sunday at noon for lunch in the church fellowship hall, offering a fellowship rhythm geared toward older members. The Mizelle group meets on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. at the Mizelle home, and the Shaw/Tower group meets at 6:30 p.m. on Sundays at the Tower home. The Wilson/Gardner group gathers on the first and third Sundays at 6 p.m. at the Gardner home with a shared meal. The Brew, geared toward college students and young adults, meets every Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Newman's Meeting House. A Wednesday evening College and Career life group meets at 6 p.m. and is led by Becky Wilson.
Children's Ministry: JUMP and Junior Church
Westminster partners with parents to raise children in the gospel. The children's ministry is coordinated by Maleeya Collins, the Next Generation Ministry Coordinator, who oversees both children's and youth work. Sunday discipleship classes run at 9:15 a.m. for children from birth through fifth grade. An optional Junior Church program is offered during the sermon for children in K4 and K5, with students dismissed at the start of the sermon and returning afterward for a time suited to their age.
On Wednesday evenings, children in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to JUMP (Jesus, Understand My Path), a catechism-based program that meets at the church from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The evening includes dinner, games, and time working through the First Catechism together. The fall 2026 JUMP schedule runs across eight Wednesday evenings from late September through mid-November. Nursery is provided during women's Bible studies and selected other programs to support parents in the congregation. Vacation Bible School is offered on a recurring basis.
The church maintains a written Child Protection Program, partnered with Protect My Ministry for background checks and training, with a Code of Conduct Acknowledgement Form required of every volunteer who works with children under eighteen.
Youth Ministry
Westminster Youth aims to help families raise children in the Word of God and to engage the Sumter community in which God has placed them. Middle school and high school students meet on Sunday mornings during the 9:15 discipleship hour for age-specific classes. On Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., youth gather at the church for games, snacks, singing, and Bible study. The program is designed to give young people a regular rhythm of fellowship and Scripture study alongside peers and older mentors. Maleeya Collins coordinates the youth ministry and is the primary point of contact for parents and students.
Women's Ministry
Westminster Women describe their purpose as encouraging and equipping women to grow through worship, discipleship, and prayer, and to serve the church family and the wider community. The ministry hosts regular Bible studies on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. and on Wednesdays at two evening time slots (5:30 to 7:00 p.m. and 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.), with nursery provided. A Women's Care Team, led by Bekah Hermanson, supports the spiritual, emotional, and relational needs of women in the congregation. Additional ministries include meal trains for those in need of care, wedding and baby showers coordinated by Becky Pritchard and Diane Ressler, and funeral meals organized by Debbie Thomas and Sherry Jackson.
Men's Ministry: The Anvil
The men's ministry of Westminster is called The Anvil, a name that captures its purpose of sharpening one another and growing in faith as disciples of Jesus Christ. The ministry is led by Alfred Shaw. A monthly Men's Prayer Breakfast gathers on the third Saturday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall, organized by Phil Chandler. Men also gather for an annual Men's Conference that brings in a guest speaker to address the whole congregation on a Sunday morning.
College and Young Professionals
Westminster takes seriously its call to reach the college and young adult population in and around Sumter. The Brew meets on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at the Newman's Meeting House for a weekly time of Scripture study and conversation about engaging the world as believers. A separate Young Adult Life Group meets on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. for dinner and Bible study. A Coffee Bar Ministry, coordinated by Sean Fitzwilliam, runs on Sunday mornings as both a hospitality ministry to visitors and a service opportunity for those wanting to connect and serve.
Music Ministry
Music at Westminster is shaped around the conviction that worshiping God together is the highlight of the week. The church sings a blended repertoire that includes classic hymns, gospel-rooted songs, and contemporary worship, with recent services drawing from hymn writers like Augustus Toplady and Henry Lyte alongside modern writers such as Sovereign Grace Worship, Aaron Keyes, and Chris Tomlin. Musicians and vocalists who would like to serve can contact Pastor Stuart Mizelle.
Prayer and Pastoral Care
Prayer is treated as essential to the life of the church, not as an add-on. A midweek prayer meeting gathers on Wednesdays at noon in the sanctuary, led by Pastor Stuart Mizelle. Prayer requests can also be submitted directly to the staff through the church's prayer page. The men's prayer breakfast on the third Saturday of each month provides an additional rhythm of gathered prayer.
Westminster also serves as a satellite office for The Christian Counseling Center, a ministry of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Members of the community can access Christian counseling through this partnership by contacting the Westminster church office or the counseling center directly.
Leadership and Governance
The church is led by a session of elders that includes two teaching elders (the senior pastor and the assistant pastor) and several ruling elders elected from the congregation. Rev. Stuart Mizelle serves as Senior Pastor and Moderator of the Session. Rev. Nathan Thomas serves as Assistant Pastor. The current ruling elders are Charles Higham (also Clerk of Session), Mike Gardner, David Pritchard, Shawn Matthews, and Gifford Shaw. A board of deacons cares for the practical and mercy needs of the congregation. The staff team is rounded out by Maleeya Collins, who coordinates children's and youth ministry, and Janelle Beane, who serves as office manager.
What We Believe and How We Worship
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, Westminster holds to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms as subordinate standards. The Sunday worship service reflects that identity. A typical service includes a covenant renewal confession drawn from historic Presbyterian liturgy, with members responding in unison to a series of vows: acknowledging themselves as sinners before God, receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation, resolving to live as followers of Christ, promising to support the church's worship and work, and submitting to the church's government and discipline.
The congregation's vision statement names three commitments under the grace of Christ and the power of the Spirit. First, Westminster views worship as its highest priority. Second, the church strives to be a highly relational and intentionally adoptive community without pretense, loving and encouraging one another and serving the wider Sumter community. Third, the congregation engages in cooperative effort to grow in maturity in Christ and seeks the growth of the kingdom of God through local and global mission.
Getting Connected
Visitors and newcomers can connect in several ways. The What to Expect page outlines the basics of a Sunday morning. A connection card on the contact page allows visitors to share their information and indicate their interests, whether learning more about Jesus, baptism, membership, a connection group, or a ministry to serve in. Online giving is available through Realm Online Giving, by text message (text "WPCSUMTER" to 73256), or through the Realm Connect app. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the office can be reached at 803-773-7235 or office@westminsterpca.net. The church calendar, special events, and sermon archive are all kept up to date for those wanting to plan a visit or follow along from afar.