Welcome to

Piedmont Presbyterian Church

A PLACE TO BELONG

Celebrating 145 years of ministry in Piedmont, SC

Why We Are Here

What does it mean to be a church? The word most commonly translated as “church” in the New Testament is the Greek word ecclesia, which literally means “called out.” The church is made up of people whom God has “called out” for a purpose. There is an intended goal to being a Christian and being a part of the church. To understand our calling as “called out” ones, we first have to ask what it means to be a Christian.

The Bible answers this question for us in 1 John 2:6, when it says “whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”  A Christian is one who builds his/her life on Jesus Christ, committing to hear his teachings and to reorder his/her life by them (Matt. 7:24-26). Jesus said that his way of life was “the true and living way” (John 14:6), the only way to really live, to really know God and to really understand ourselves (John 17:3).

One of the earliest and most significant terms by which followers of Jesus were known was “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Jesus first embodied the way of life to which he calls us. He did not have a double standard, one for himself and one for his followers. As the “shepherd” of his sheep, Jesus did not drive; he led (John 10:4). He went before his people in character, devotion, and sacrificial service.

Jesus came to create something which the New Testament calls koinōnia, often translated as “fellowship” or “communion.” Koinōnia conveys the idea of a common life, of our participating together in the very life of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:16-17). This term summarizes why Jesus came and why our church exists. We want Jesus’ kind of life to be reproduced in us and in you (Gal. 4:19). To be “called out” by God into Christian discipleship is to be “called into” and be calling others into “the fellowship (koinōnia) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). We invite you to share in “the Life” Jesus offers together with us here at Piedmont Presbyterian Church.

We believe that Jesus was raised from the dead on the first day of the week, and so we follow the practice of his earliest disciples and gather on Sundays to express our faith in his resurrection. We do not gather to memorialize a dead hero but because we believe that Jesus Christ, as a living and transforming presence, is able to use worship and fellowship as a means of bringing us into shared life with him and with one another. We pray together, sing hymns of praise, listen to God’s Word, and respond in faith and commitment because we believe Jesus is risen and really present wherever his disciples gather together (Matt. 18:20).

Leadership


Pastor

Rev. William G. Shepherd, Stated Supply Pastor

William has served our church since the Fall of 2023, first by filling the pulpit for several months, then as a Student Supply Pastor while in graduate school, and now as our Stated Supply Pastor. He and his wife Antoinette were married in our church in May 2024. William was born in Greenville, where he attended Southside Christian School from age three until high school graduation. He has been involved in ministry since 2014, when, in the summer before his junior year, he became obedient to God’s call on his life to preach his Word. After high school, William charted an intentionally eclectic educational course. He earned his associate’s degree from Fruitland Baptist Bible College in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He then returned to South Carolina, graduating from Southern Wesleyan University in Central (B.A., Religion, Summa Cum Laude) and Erskine Theological Seminary in Due West, where he earned both the M.A. in Theological Studies and an advanced degree (Th.M.) in New Testament. William is passionate about helping people understand the Bible and its relevance for our life together as followers of Jesus Christ. William currently teaches our adult men’s Sunday School class, and Antoinette leads our Knit Wits group. He and Antoinette make their home in Greenville.

Elders

The members of our congregation are responsible for electing persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, who have demonstrated skills in leadership and who are compassionate in spirit, to discern and measure the church’s fidelity to the Word of God and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. The pastor and these ruling elders form the governing council of our church called the Session. Elders currently serving a three-year term on the Session are appointed to chair one of five permanent committees, made up of members of the congregation, which are tasked with helping the Session to carry out the church’s ministry faithfully, creatively, and effectively. Meet the elders currently serving on our Session.

Beverly Moody, Clerk of Session
Cindy Erexson, Witness and Service Committee
Steve Erexson, Building and Property Committee
Cory Hedstrom

Ron Hedstrom, Stewardship and Finance Committee
Katie MacKnight, Strengthening the Church Committee
Mary Strom, Worship and Commitment Committee

Program Directors

Regina Lewis, Music Director & Accompanist
Mary Strom, Presbyterian Women

Presbyterian Women, Inc., is the women’s organization in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Across the denomination, more than 200,000 women participate in Presbyterian Women and align themselves around a shared purpose:

Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves
      • to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
      • to support the mission of the church worldwide,
      • to work for justice and peace, and
      • to build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom.

These commitments are lovingly carried out in Presbyterian Women groups in congregations, presbyteries and synods. At the national level, Presbyterian Women provides the resources, direction and opportunities to fulfill the organization’s mission and ministry. Presbyterian Women’s connectional structure allows you to participate as deeply and/or broadly in the organization and its commitments as you wish. For more information about how to be involved with the women of our church, contact Mary Strom.

Dr. Tommy Thomason, Sunday School Director