GREENVILLE, S.C. --On Easter Sunday, April 20, Nicholtown Presbyterian Church held its final worship service, marking the end of an era for a small, African American congregation that has served its community for 74 years.
Nicholtown Presbyterian Church was a vibrant hub of faith and fellowship, with 124 members filling the pews in the 1980s. Recently only four active members remained. After decades as a pillar of the community, the church made the difficult decision to close its doors.
Church leaders cite several reasons for this heartbreaking decision. In a digital world where contact is often through an electronic device, the church struggled to attract members physically in the church; and without growth—and the financial support that comes with it—it became increasingly difficult to keep the church open. Then came COVID-19, which began sweeping through the congregation five years ago this month, taking the lives of many of the remaining elderly and frail members and convincing others not to return.
Nicholtown Presbyterian Church, at its peak, left an indelible mark on the community. Church leaders reflected on the church's legacy and impact on the neighborhood called Nicholtown during their 3 p.m. service on Easter Sunday.
The Origin of Nicholtown
News stories and historical documents trace Nicholtown’s origins to 1849 when a plantation owner bequeathed part of his land to his daughter. After she died in 1868, the estate was sold to settle debts, with formerly enslaved African Americans among the buyers.
By the 1870s, nine African American families had established homes in the area, laying the foundation for the Nicholtown community. By the 1950s, Nicholtown had grown into a Black middle-class community. Located about a half mile from downtown Greenville, Nicholtown became a symbol of progress and resilience in a segregated city.
“Nicholtown used to be very self-sustaining. We had restaurants, service stations, an upholstery shop, a beauty salon,” former member and playwright Wanda Williams said.
Williams grew up in Nicholtown but now lives in Mauldin, South Carolina. We had “all kinds of things in the community and our money went back into our own community.”
In an apparent reflection of Nicholtown’s entrepreneurial spirit, local legend holds that the community got its name from the belief that you could buy anything there for a nickel.
Nicholtown wasn’t just a neighborhood—it was a center of social and professional life for Greenville’s Black community. It was where Greenville’s Black doctors, lawyers, teachers and preachers moved, long-time Greenville residents Paul and Carolyn Goodjoin recalled. Its skating rink and several clubs also attracted teens in the 1960s. Carolyn Goodjoin was one of them. “Nicholtown was where we would hang out.”
In the 1970s, the neighborhood struggled with drugs and crime but has since rebounded through grants aimed at improving housing and living conditions. However, long-time residents today face a new challenge: the risk of displacement due to gentrification and rising property taxes.
Amid the community’s vibrant business, social and professional vibe, Nicholtown Presbyterian Church stood as one of the spiritual anchors—a place where faith and fellowship brought the community even closer. For many, it wasn’t just a house of worship; it was an extension of family.
A Legacy of Fellowship and Church Discipline
Semmada Gordon joined the church in 1987. Now an elder, Gordon said she was attracted to the church’s family-like atmosphere. “When church was over, it wasn’t like everybody rushed to their cars and went home. You stood around and you talked with each other.” This went on for hours, “because everybody enjoyed seeing (each other) and “everybody was always so lovely.”
Gordon left the church in 1997 and returned in 2019. “They welcomed me back. They opened their arms wide open and hugged me and just brought me back in…like I had never left.”
Williams noted that church leaders instilled discipline and self-respect, teaching young African American young people like her to carry themselves with pride and dignity.
She recalled choir director, pianist and organist Idelle R. Coles and her strict, no-nonsense approach to singing and performance in the church choir. She was the wife of pastor Rev. Charles Coles, who led the church from 1954 to 1980. Williams said the first lady showed her and other choir members how to hold hymnals while they sang in the choir stand. She would give them the “eye” if they moved. The lessons of self-respect, dignity, and pride that she learned from the church leaders were values she passed down to her children, who also attended Nicholtown.
A Legacy of Service
The church's first pastor, the Rev. Andrew Allen, conducted a community survey that led to the church's first formation in 1951. Under his leadership, the church established a Sunday School and kindergarten that served the community's children until 1980. Upon Rev. Allen's retirement in 1954, The Rev. Charles Coles became pastor. Membership grew steadily from 10 members in 1954 to 124 when he retired in 1980.
In 1981, The Rev. C.E. Piephoff served as a supply pastor, followed by the Rev. Walter J. Myles Jr., who was ordained in 1982. Under Rev. Myles’ leadership, the church expanded its outreach, including community programs like the United Ministries Food Pantry for the Homeless and the CROP Walk for World Hunger.
Here is a link to the entire history compiled by Cheeks.
Beyond worship services, members said that children’s programs were the church’s greatest asset to Nicholtown. Having a daycare “helped parents who wanted to work; we gave them affordable child care,” Elder Hilda Sanders said.
When churches make service a cornerstone of their mission, God yields blessings that come in strange and unusual ways.
The Miracle
In May of 2017, the church sought funds to help support a breakfast and transportation program that picked up neighborhood kids for church, fed them breakfast and returned them to their homes. On May 17, a gift arrived in the mail from an unexpected and unlikely donor.
A self-described White racist left a $2,000 donation, along with a typewritten letter apologizing for decades of hatred toward people of color.
“Second, if you were ever looking for proof that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are alive and well today…this is it,” wrote the letter writer. “Thanks to Jesus and the Holy Spirit alone that I have been cleansed of my former racism.”
The unexpected gesture left church leaders awestruck and grateful.
“If we can hear the heart of this man as being the heart that represents all of us, I think all of us can be better,” church pastor, the Rev. Michael Sullivan, said to a WSPA-TV reporter.
The donation provided crucial funding for the transportation program, allowing the church to continue supporting neighborhood children.
Pastoral Leads During COVID-19
From its early days as a growing congregation to its years of community outreach, Nicholtown Presbyterian Church weathered many challenges. Yet, no trial proved more daunting than the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed some elderly members and left others hesitant to return.
Sullivan’s leadership during the pandemic anchored his congregation. His sermons, found on the church's Facebook page, encouraged members to hold on to their faith after the church switched to remote services.
“Let the Lord work through you,” he preached in the church’s first remote sermon on March 23, 2020, reminding the congregation of their strength and purpose. “Let him develop within you his spirit that allows you to become the greatest and the most useful human that he can use in this day.” His words resonated with a scared, confused and isolated congregation, offering comfort and hope in a perilous time.
Here is the link to that first sermon.
Looking back five years ago this month, church members said they have a greater appreciation for how he taught them not to lose faith in such bleak times.