Kathwood Baptist Church 4900 Trenholm Road

Kathwood Baptist Church was first an idea five laymen had: E. Whitson Brooks, Ray Flemming, Walter McKinney, O. S. Hillman, and Glenn S. Hedgecock. The idea was to build a church in Forest Acres. During one meeting, this notion was accepted with great enthusiasm by the five laymen’s fellow Baptists.

Reverend Shaylor Walters, director of the Training Union of the SC Baptist Convention, held the first mass of the new Kathwood Church at Timmerman School on Covenant Road August 30, 1964. One hundred nine people attended this service.

A Charter of Incorporation was awarded to the church by the state of SC on September 22, 1964. A month later, by–laws were adopted by a church vote. Kathwood’s congregation began the search for a suitable location and found the site where the church now rests, a seven acre plot on 4900 Trenholm Road. This was in December, 1964.

Dr. Richard S. Brannon, pastor of Huffman Baptist Church in Alabama was called to be the first minister, on February 1, 1965, of Kathwood Baptist Church. He remained minister for a little over five years.

Until the new church was completed, Kathwood held services at Crayton School on Clemson Avenue. On May 16, 1965, the church was finally constituted as a church, and the Fairfield Baptist Association, now Columbia Metro Association, accepted it.

The first service held at the church’s present location was held on October 8, 1967. In 1976, Kathwood’s congregation began to diminish and contributions declined. After a decade of struggling, the church once again saw growth in membership and contributions. This prompted members to purchase a new organ, remodel the sanctuary, and install an elevator. Later in 1995, several contributors paid the church’s debt.

In 1996, the church approved more upgrades. These upgrades included kitchen and bathroom renovations, breezeway and foyer enclosure, the construction of a bell tower, and porte-cochere.