Saint Anne’s Church is much more than a place; we are a worship community that began in a living room ten years ago. Soon after, we were able to rent Lackey Chapel, the Coastal Carolina University campus chapel, on Sunday mornings. There we thrived for years with supply priests, then a Priest In Charge, and finally our own full-time priest who helped us achieve full parish status. A parishioner donated office space and support for the rector.

There were times when the chapel was not available to us due to campus closings for hurricanes and floods, so we met in parishioners’ homes. During the pandemic, we held virtual church with fireside sermons from a parishioner’s back porch. As long as we are gathered, there is St. Anne’s.

In 2021, with help from the Diocese, we purchased a Christian bookstore in Conway and transformed it into a beautiful worship space complete with a food preparation area, nursery, and church offices. Now we have a place to our own, for our own events and to host our community. We host monthly meetings for PFLAG (Parents, Families, and friends of Lesbians and Gays). We hosted the Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church’s Summer Bible School. We are grateful to have a flexible worship space that can quickly transform from Eucharist to lunch gathering within a matter of minutes.

Strengths

  • Our church and congregation feel safe and welcoming to our congregants.
  • Our space is a reflection of St. Anne’s as a congregation of choice.

Goals

Over the next 12-18 months, we are looking to establish a capital campaign to improve our physical space. In the near term, the Vestry has a rough design for additional parking space, and they are working with the diocese for funding.

We have the capacity to grow in our building including the second floor, which is unfinished and currently used for storage. We are proud of our modest church, which we have made our home. Everyone who comes into Saint Anne’s for the first time feels loved and welcome. It is not because of the church/space; it is the presence of the love of Christ.