Hibben UMC History

Welcome to the History Page of Hibben United Methodist Church

The "Hibben Story" began with one of the denomination's most influential members, Francis Asbury, who was sent to America by John Wesley in 1771. Asbury visited Charleston for the first time in 1785. On one of his subsequent visits, Asbury found enough interested persons to organize a "Methodist Society" in Mount Pleasant SC, probably around 1799. The members of the "Methodist Society", who later began the Mount Pleasant Church, lived in the surrounding areas of Mount Pleasant on the large plantations and came to the resort area during their periods of vacation. This would certainly establish a definite kinship with Asbury that few Churches can make claim.

Of course, no page on Hibben history would be complete without a discussion of the history of the Methodist Church and its doctrines. So, a brief discussion of these topics with a link to an excellent source is provided at the bottom of this page.

Old, Old Hibben

The original Hibben Church which we refer to as "Old, Old Hibben" was erected on the corner of Hibben and Bennett Streets on property donated by Major James Hibben on December 19, 1809. Around 1830, a church was built on this property. There were 12 charter members. During the War Between the States, the church was used as a hospital. By 1868, it was so badly in need of repair that is was razed. From then to 1899, the Methodists worshipped in the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church building.

Old Hibben

Painting of Old Hibben In November of 1899 construction was begun on a new building, which we refer to as "Old Hibben", with work being done largely by the members. Its simplified Eastlake architecture featured contrasting textures of clapboard and shingle construction. The main entrance and steeple located on the left made it asymmetrical. A porch with ornamental brackets and balustrade extended across the right side of the facade.

The first service was held in the new building in July 1901 with the Rev. P.A. Murray and the Rev. A.J.Stokes, Presiding elder, conducting the service. The Church, however, was not completed until 1903. The debt on the Church was completely liquidated in 1908, and the dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. E.S. Jones during the pastorate of the Rev. Leo D. Gillespie. By 1909, the church had 98 members.

A copy of a painting by long time Hibben member, Edna Taylor, which appears above, uniquely depicts the character of "Old Hibben".

The congregation of "Old Hibben" remained fairly stable for some years until the community began to grow: thus, Hibben grew also.

Interior of Old Hibben The need for additional facilities became more acute and additional adjoining land was not available at that time. Therefore, on April 5, 1955, a "Special Session of the Quarterly Conference" was called to consider a site for the relocation of the Church. It was resolved that the Trustees be directed to purchase two adjoining lots on what is now the southwest corner of Coleman Boulevard and Vincent Drive.

A photograph from the Building Committee's brochure entitled "Why We Need To Build" appears on this page. It shows the inside of "Old Hibben" during a worship service.

"Old Hibben" is located at the corner of Hibben Street and Bennett Street in the old village of Mt. Pleasant.

New Hibben

Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the new building were held on November 30, 1958, and the first service in "New Hibben" was conducted September 20, 1959, with the Rev. W.W. McNeil as the minister. It was a grand and glorious day for the people of Hibben. Many prayers had been answered when the new Church Building was finally occupied. It was a day of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving.

Newly elected South Carolina Methodist Bishop Paul W. Hardin Jr. on December 4, 1960 delivered the consecration sermon. The fellowship hall and educational building, part of a plan to include the future erection of a sanctuary, were also consecrated. The old building on Hibben Street was sold to the Seventh Day Adventist Church and is still in use today as a place of worship.

Over the years, the once quaint fishing village of Mount Pleasant was transformed into a robust and constantly growing town, impacted by expanding residential developments corresponding with the availability of retail/commercial services. Growth is somewhat synonymous with change, and such was the case at Hibben United Methodist Church.

Present Hibben

In recognition of the growth, with expanding membership, the building committee of Hibben UMC undertook the ambitious task of planning for the future and hired an architectural firm to assist them.

The symbolism of the old church was of great importance to the parishioners, for it represented the foundation of faith upon which the parish started. The symbolism was translated into the new design by way of the architectural language existing in the old chapel. The arched windows, the bright and airy interior were all design factors considered for the new sanctuary.

This church project required meeting several programmatic needs of the congregation which included: a major expansion of congregational seating: a new church identity: rearrangement and expansion for church administration: conversion of the abandoned chapel into multiuse/Sunday School space: and renovation of portions of the existing Educational Building.

The siting of the new 6,000 square foot sanctuary, fronting predominately on Coleman Blvd., together with the 3,000 square foot administrative addition, created a building cluster to augment the existing chapel and Educational Building. Additionally, the design and siting of the new addition was carefully planned to create a courtyard between the old and new structures. The facility was completed and the first worship service was conducted on December 19, 1984.

On September 14, 1986, a seventeen rank Schantz Pipe Organ was dedicated to the glory of God. This organ was a generous donation by one of Hibben's families. In December of the same year, a Schumerich Quadrabell II Carillion instrument was donated to the church by another church family.

In 1995, a completely renovated Hibben Chapel was dedicated to the glory of God.

A unanimous decision was made during a Church Conference on November 6, 1994, to proceed with plans to develop a much needed expansion to our educational facilities and new Christian Life and Learning Center. This decision came about because of Hibben's recognition of the requirement to provide additional facilities in order to meet both current needs and future needs. As a result of this bold decision, Hibben embarked upon a stewardship campaign to raise the capital for this new addition as well as renovations to our existing Educational Building. The new 16,300 square foot CL & LC facility and other renovations were finally completed in the Fall of 2000 and the building was consecrated as indicated below. The large multi-purpose room in the CL&LC was named the "Simmons-Colwell Hall" in memory of the Simmon’s sisters, Sarah Colwell and Rebe Simmons, by the Trustees upon recommendation by the building committee. A significant contribution was made to the building fund by the sisters in their will.


From left to right - Rev. Larry McCutcheon, Rev. Kyle Randle, Rev. Sam Johnson, and Bishop Lawrence McCleskey in the CL&LC during the Consecration Service. From left to right - Rev. Kyle Randle, Rev. Larry McCutcheon, Bishop Lawrence McCleskey, and Rev. Sam Johnson in front of the CL&LC immediately after the Consecration Service.		Service of Consecration In accordance with the Book of Discipline, on completion of any Church building, a service of consecration may be held. Our Christian Life and Learning Center building was completed in October 2000. The presentation of the CL&LC building and the Act of Consecration was subsequently conducted on 7 January 2001 followed by a fellowship dinner. The consecration was led by Lawrence J. McCleskey, Resident Bishop of the South Carolina Annual Conference. Also in attendance was Rev. Larry McCutcheon (Charleston District Superintendent), representatives from Southern Design and Construction Consultants, Robert Gerber (Building Architect) and the niece and nephew of Sarah Colwell and Rebe Simmons.

Education Building Wing named in Honor of Robert Barton In recognition of his dedicated service as the chairman of the Building Committee, the area that formerly housed the fellowship hall and kitchen was officially named the Robert Barton Education Wing. This area now houses the library, the music room, the associate minister's office, a storage room and four Sunday school classrooms.

CL&LC Wing named in Memory of Todd Carter

At the conclusion of the 9 December 2001 Worship Services in the CL&LC, A plaque was presented to Jamie & Debbie Carter in memory of their son, Todd Carter. The wing of the CL&LC which houses the Jr. High and Sr. High Youth classrooms will now be known as the Todd Carter Wing.

A good portion of the above information was taken from:
The History of Hibben Methodist Church, Carl D. Clary and Harris A. DuBois, Co-Authors.

History and Doctrine of The Methodist Church

For those interested in learning more about the history and doctrine of the Methodist Church, you are directed to an excellent information page "About Our Church" which is part of the Official Methodist Church's Web site.

A quote from the Forward in Understanding The United Methodist Church, 1997 Revised Edition by Nolan B. Harmon, stated, "To understand The United Methodist Church, one should know something about its:

•History, and how it started
•Doctrine, or what it believes
•Discipline, or rules for conduct
•Organization, or how it works
•Worship and Sacraments
•Activities and World-wide Program
•Relation to Other Churches"