Spiritual Comforter

The first new Episcopal church in Columbia County in more than 40 years will welcome the public during a Tuesday open house.

//

Church of the Holy Comforter was started in 1999 and has worshiped at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion, but members wanted a home of their own.

So, when they found an open lot on Furys Ferry Road, they knew that's where God wanted them to be, said the Rev. Cynthia Taylor, the church's senior pastor.

"Its always been a desire of our heart to be a church home for the spiritually homeless," Taylor said. "We spent a long time envisioning what kind of church we thought God wanted us to be, and one of the things that became very clear is that we were supposed to be an oasis in Columbia County and particularly along Furys Ferry Road."

With the location on a major thoroughfare in Columbia County, Taylor said she and the other church members want people to know that Holy Comforter is a place where people can pause and reflect.

"We want people to know that this is a place for the community, and that is one of the reasons we are having this open house," Taylor said.

The open house is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday.

"Anyone and everyone is invited," Taylor said.

To mark that the church was being built, a 15-foot Celtic cross was erected on site. Now that the church's parish hall has opened, there has been some curiosity within the community, Taylor said.

"This is a good opportunity to satisfy that curiosity with good food, good beverages, good company," Taylor said. "And this is our way to introduce ourselves to the community now that we have a place to welcome people," Taylor said.