Dignitaries present for the installation ceremony included left to right: the Rev. Dudley Crawford, honorably retired; Elder Bill Ingle, Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church; the Rev. Dr. J. Decherd Guess; the Rev. Laura Lupton, mission coordinator of West Community of Presbytery; Elder Naomi Newton of Silver Hill Presbyterian Church; Elder Jane Callahan of Faith Presbyterian Church; Elder Janet Hagler, clerk of session for Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church; and the Rev. Tom Currie, honorably retired.
at 4 p.m. on July 18, 2010 at the 200 year old church. More than 100 people attended the event.
Sylvia McLean of Laurinburg, a part of the committee that offered Guess the position of pastor, was "touched" by the symbolism of the occasion.
"The service was inspirational in the sense that contemporary life continues to evolve, and being an old church we are symbolic of combining the old with the new," McLean said. "Rev. Guess has a saying, 'where faith meets life', and we feel he has that ability to make faith something attractive, meaningful, and practical to us all."
Guess, better known as Deck, moved to Scotland County from Summerville, S.C., where he served as the associate for congregational life at Charleston Atlanta Presbytery. His wife Deb had been associate for campus ministry and mission for that Presbytery.
Guess said in a previous interview that he was impressed by the "balanced perspective" between history and faith that members of Old Laurel Hill Church demonstrated at their historic church.
"I come from a Presbytery with churches that date back to the 1760s, and one from 1690," he said, "and I am aware of how history and tradition can either be a ball and chain or the motivation to continue to make a difference. Old Laurel Hill is in the latter category: they have a wonderful history and a great church tradition, but they don't worship it. They still worship God."
McLean said the congregation was impressed with Guess from the beginning. He assumed his position at Old Laurel Hill Church on June 15.
"He is very much a leader, but he is also very approachable," McLean said soon after he began. "We like his practical application of faith to life in the contemporary world, and we were impressed by how the young people have reacted to him."
Church dignitaries who took part in the July 18 service included the Rev. Dudley Crawford, honorably retired, Elder Bill Ingle of Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Laura Lupton, mission coordinator of West Community of Presbytery, Elder Naomi Newton of Silver Hill Presbyterian Church, Elder Jane Callahan of Faith Presbyterian Church, Elder Janet Hagler, clerk of session for Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, and the Rev. Tom Currie, honorably retired.
A reception in the church fellowship hall to honor Deck and Deb Guess followed the service.
Guess was raised in Union, S.C. and graduated from Presbyterian College. He later attended Columbia Seminary in Decatur, Ga. His wife is a native of Bristol, Tenn. The couple has four children: Chandler, 26, is director of Christian Education at Northminster in Hickory; Josh, 25, is community outreach director for Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association in Asheville; Lauren, 21, is employed at Whole Foods in Mount Pleasant; and Cullen, 20, is a student at Converse College.
Officially organized in 1797, Old Laurel Hill Church began as a log building, which was later replaced by a larger frame structure. The present church was built in 1856 and was occupied by General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops on their march across the south.
The church is located at the intersection of McFarland Road and Laurel Hill Church Road, just off Old Wire Road and Highway 501 North.
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