BLYTHEWOOD – Village Church held its first Sunday services in its new 1,200-seat worship center on Sunday.
“This new facility will be a blessing to not only our existing members of Village Church, but to Blythewood and the surrounding communities as well,” said Senior Pastor Erik Estep.
Members and visitors filled the sanctuary twice during two separate services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for the inaugural worship service. Visitors included S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and his daughter Anna as well as U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson and his wife Roxanne. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s videoed congratulatory message was shown on one of three giant screens at the front of the auditorium, and Gov. Henry McMaster sent his grand opening message via letter.
The 25,000 square feet building consists of the sanctuary, a large nursery and an oversized hallway and lobby that features a large well-appointed hospitality counter at each end where members and visitors can enjoy coffee and sometimes other refreshments.
“The lobby is a comfortable space that provides plenty of room for mingling and visiting before and after services,” Estep said. “We have a lot of members who drive a ways to get here — Fairfield County, Chapin, Columbia, and other area towns.”
As the church approaches its 24th anniversary, it has grown from a small meeting room in Lake Carolina to a 50-acre complex on Rimer Pond Road that includes not only the new building but two smaller ones that the congregation grew through over the years. The acreage also includes a pond that the church recently purchased. The new worship center is connected to the smaller sanctuary that currently houses the children and student center, which will be reconstructed to include six classrooms as well.
The church’s services stream on YouTube, Facebook and on the Village Church app.
With the seating capacity increasing by 60 percent of the previous worship center, the church will be moving from three to two services on Sunday mornings.
The church is located at 574 Rimer Pond Road in Blythewood. For more information, contact Village Church at 803-419-0989 or @VillageChurchSC on Facebook.
