Located in the small Southern town of McConnells, South Carolina, Olivet Presbyterian Church has been a beloved part of this rural community for more than 180 years. God has richly blessed the congregation through the decades. Today the church has 145 communing members on its roll. Each Sunday Olivet is filled with worshipers of all ages, giving glory to God for His goodness and love.
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Our Pastors
Pastor John M. "Chip" McArthur
Chip McArthur has been Olivet’s pastor since 1992. He and his wife Donna are both natives of Jackson, Mississippi and in fact, grew up in the same church there. They married in 1979. Chip is a graduate of Belhaven College and Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson. Prior to coming to Olivet, he served churches in Clayton, AL and Magee, MS. Donna is a retired educator. The McArthurs have two grown children: Webb, who along with his wife Whitney and son Thatcher, lives in Washington, DC, and Katie, who along with her husband Tim Blumenstein and their children Owen, Harper, Jude, and Mac, lives in Charlotte, NC.
Assistant Pastor Austin R. Simpson
Austin Simpson serves as Olivet’s Assistant Pastor. After graduating from Georgia College & State University, he completed his Master’s of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. Prior to his ordination, he served as Olivet’s ministerial intern. Austin and his wife Carson were married in 2019 and have one daughter named Selah.
Our Church Leadership
The Session (Elders)
Christopher W. Arnold Roy G. Clinton, Emeritus David R. Currence, Emeritus
Jeffery E. Fairfax, Emeritus Daniel H. Harshaw James M. Hawley, Emeritus
Robert B. Mendenhall John M. McArthur, Jr. Moderator Jason M. Petty Richard B. Summerville, Jr. William Lee Summerville, Jr., Clerk of Session
The Diaconate (Deacons)
Brian J. Carlisle, Widows & Shut-ins Lee K. Guempel, Safety Malcolm H. Harshaw, Treasurer
James R. Clinton Brent M. Christenberry, Buildings & Grounds Don L. Johnson John F. Hawley, Chairman David W. Kelley Michael A. Laws, Secretary Larry M. Plyler, Emeritus
The Women in the Church
Sandra Currence, President Kathy Fairfax, Nursery/Children’s Church Susan Petty, Secretary Ina Ruth Johnson, Historian Marsha Plyler, Treasurer/Pastor's Aide Lorie Rohrer, Missions Frankie Guempel, Circle Chair
Our Church History
Olivet member Mrs. Mary Wells wrote a wonderful history of our church in 1986. Click here to read her work.
Important dates from Olivet's history:
Olivet Presbyterian Church was founded by Rev. Robert Young Russell on September 17, 1842 as a part of the old Independent Presbyterian Church.
The first church was a small wooden building situated about three miles west of McConnells on what is now Highway 322. Mr. Thomas Burris, a member of the church, made the pews which are still in use today.
The old church building was abandoned and worship began in the present building on September 19, 1886. Accounts read that “the new brick church is in the town of McConnellsville not far from the railroad. It is of Gothic style and is beautified with shrubbery, green lawns, and cement walks.”
