Who We Are

Making Disciples

Community and Fellowship For All

Fort Hill Presbyterian Church is a disciple-developing, mission-minded, community-oriented congregation in the heart of a college town and is a member of the Foothills Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

A Nationwide Community

The PC(USA) Denomination

Fort Hill Presbyterian Church is a member of the Foothills Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1983 in Atlanta, Georgia, the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the United States voted to reunite and become the Presbyterian Church (USA). The symbol shown here is the seal of the new denomination born in 1983.

For more detailed information on the Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Theology, Representational Leadership, History, and Social Witness, please visit the PC(USA) website.

Our Church Government

Fort Hill Church is led by the Session, elected leaders of our congregation who provide spiritual and organizational leadership in service to Christ, the Head of the Church. The Presbyterian Church is a representative democracy. It governs itself by representatives chosen from the local congregation. There are four levels of government. The local church is governed by the “Session” which is made up of all our Pastors (Teaching Elders) and Ruling Elders elected by the local congregation. The next level is the “Presbytery.” Fort Hill Presbyterian Church is a member of Foothills Presbytery which is composed of every minister and at least one Elder from each of the Presbyterian congregations in the upstate of South Carolina. The next level is the “Synod.” Fort Hill Presbyterian Church is part of the South Atlantic Synod whose boundaries include the states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The highest level of government is the “General Assembly” which is made up of representatives from each of the Presbyteries.

Vision, Mission, and Practice

Who We Are and How We Serve

Vision Statement

Joining together on a Journey of Christian faith, we seek to be disciples of Christ and to share God’s love in our community and around the world.

Mission Statement

Glorify God, Grow Disciples, Meet Human Needs

Faith Practices

Worship Weekly, Pray Daily, Serve Eagerly, Give Generously, Build Relationships Intentionally, Study Scripture Purposefully, Share the Good News Joyfully

A History of Discipleship and Fellowship

Fort Hill Presbyterian is a disciple-developing, mission-minded, community-oriented congregation in the heart of a college town. Our congregation, starting in 1895, has grown significantly serving our own congregation, our local community, and global communities we continue to support.

July 21, 1895

Fort Hill Presbyterian Church was organized by the Presbytery of South Carolina. Fort Hill Presbyterian was the first church to serve the communities of Calhoun and Clemson. The 33 charter members selected 3 elders and 2 deacons. Worship services were conducted regularly by their first minister Rev. Mr. Benjamin Palmer Reid.

April 1896

Rev. Reid and the congregation first occupied the newly constructed building at Fort Hill Presbyterian’s present site. Prior to this building being ready, early members met in one of the partially completed buildings of the newly organized Clemson College.

December 4, 1932

A fire destroyed the building where the Fort Hill Presbyterian congregation had been meeting. Since Clemson students had been worshipping in local churches instead of the college chapel, it was urgent that the building be restored as soon as possible. The local congregation and Presbyterians throughout the Synod of South Carolina responded generously and accomplished this within six months!

Early 1960s

A new education building was constructed on the site of the old manse. The buildings housed ongoing programming of the local congregation along with Foothills Presbytery’s Ministry at Clemson University.

1990

The beautiful Fort Hill Presbyterian Sanctuary was built and has since received new technology enhancements for livestreaming worship.

2016

An elevator and a bridge were built to enhance accommodation and accessibility for all. Flexible space was created for children and youth ministries.

Today

The Fort Hill Presbyterian buildings house ongoing programming of our local congregation and programming for our Presbyterian (USA) Ministry to Clemson University, Tri-County Tech, and SWU.