Myrtle Beach church was vacated amid controversial debate. Now another is moving in
A church that started 14 years ago in a Conway-area trailer is getting set to host its first service in a 2,000-seat facility.
The possibility of this young congregation moving into the building at 2901 Fantasy Way seemed far-fetched when it began its search months ago for a new house of worship, admitted Rev. Jamie Barfield, lead pastor of Palmetto Pointe Church of God.
The former longtime home of Christ United Methodist Church has sat vacant for about two years after it was forced to move following a decision to leave the Methodist denomination amid a debate about its rules regarding homosexuality.
Rev. Jeff Dunn, senior pastor of what is now just Christ United Church, told The Sun News at the time that a special conference scheduled to clarify the denomination’s position on same-sex marriages and openly homosexual clergy was putting them in an uncomfortable position.
“We are neither condemning nor condoning,” he said.
Barfield noted he’s against creating division, and he’s proud of them for taking a stance and being bold in that stance, which forced a move because the building was owned by the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Palmetto Pointe Church, which has been at 3690 Palmetto Pointe Blvd. about 10 years, has had to hold four services every Sunday for the past year or so to first accommodate social distancing guidelines at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and then due to rapid membership growth, Barfield said.
“It’s killed our volunteers, who’ve been giving up their entire Sundays every week,” he said.
Needing a bigger facility, the building on Fantasy Way seemed perfect, but likely too costly, Barfield said. Some prayer, a generous congregation and several conversations with the banks and United Methodist Church made it happen, though.
Palmetto Pointe Church purchased the property for $4 million, according to Horry County land records.
Barfield is looking forward to getting everyone back in one service, with the first one scheduled for 10 a.m. on Dec. 12. He said his first sermon will be about the faithfulness of God.
“The same God that was with us in that trailer is with us now and will be with us in the future,” he said.
Future plans for the venue include starting a daycare and hosting concerts, Barfield added.
