Father Denman Isgett is the newest rector at St. Matthias

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Father Denman Isgett is the newest rector at St. Matthias Church in Summerton. However, being an Anglican pastor is his second career.

Isgett was born in Columbia and was raised in Fort Motte. Born into a fundamental Episcopal church, he developed a respect and love for God and for the vestments of the church.

After graduating from high school, Isgett went to college at Clemson, where he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in agronomy. He then worked in management and with agronomic aspects of commercial vegetable production in the Southeast.

Isgett worked in Georgia for six months before moving to Allendale. While in Allendale, he married, and the couple moved to Florence to take new jobs. The Isgetts stayed in Florence for 17 years, and during the last three, Isgett accepted the Lord’s call into the ministry.

As he began the process of transition from his former career to the ministry, Isgett served at St. John’s Church in Florence. He attended seminary at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned a master’s degree in Christian thought in May 2017.

Toward the end of Isgett’s degree program, the previous rector for St. Matthias Church in Summerton was called to another church. As Isgett had grown up in a small community, St. Matthias was a perfect fit. He began his ministry there in July 2017.

“It was a good fit. I feel I was shaped and molded to be here. It’s the Lord’s providence,” said Isgett. St. Matthias Church, a member of the Anglican Church of North America in the Diocese of South Carolina, is a traditional Anglican church with traditional liturgy. The church is fundamental with Bible-driven teachings.

“We’re catholic but not Roman, and we’re protestant but not reformed,” said Isgett. Anglican ministers function as priests on behalf of the bishop. Although ministers do move to new churches on occasion, answering another call, it’s not unusual for a minister to stay with the same church throughout his lifetime of service.

“While people do move around, it’s typical the call means the person is the right fit for the parish, which is almost like a marriage,” said Isgett.

The building was begun in 1898 and completed in February 1899. The original structure was a much simpler wooden structure. While the original structure still stands, it was later covered in stone, and the build has expanded and now includes many more ornate features than were originally included.

St. Matthias was the 13th apostle, chosen to replace Judas after his betrayal and death. St. Matthias is unique in that he was not personally chosen by Jesus, becoming an apostle after Jesus’ death but prior to the descending of the Holy Spirit. He is the patron saint of alcoholics, carpenters, smallpox, tailors, hope and perseverance.

“We’re really a community-driven church,” said Isgett. The church has roughly 150 members, with around 65 actively attending each Sunday.

The main ministry of St. Matthias is the Montessori preschool attached to the church. Children ages three to six attend the integrated three-year K3-Kindergarden program. An average of 15-20 students attend each year.

Many of the members assist St. Mary Catholic Church with their food bank. In return, several of St. Mary’s women participate in the St. Matthias women’s Bible study group, which ministers to women from multiple traditions around the community and from outside the community.

St. Matthias also hosts fundraisers to support the Montessori school. Each year they host an oyster roast, which Isgett believes is one of the largest oyster roasts in the area, if not the state. The church also hosts a golf tournament each year, with the 2018 event hosted on Mother’s Day weekend.

St. Matthias is also associated with a deacon in the diocese who is a missionary in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The missionary is facilitating seminary education through Moore College in Australia, a historic Anglican seminary. They are holding classes and are working to raise up leaders in the Anglican world.

“We have an association there. I hope this will become more of a major ministry in time,” said Isgett.

St. Matthias also held Vacation Bible School June 3-7, with 14 children this year, three of whom were from migrant working families.

On Palm Sunday, St. Matthias coordinated with St. Mary Catholic Church, Summerton Presbyterian Church, Summerton Methodist Church and St. Mark AME Church to hold a Stations of the Cross event across Summerton. The walk began at Summerton Presbyterian and ended at St. Matthias, stopping at various points through town.

“It was a lot of fun. We got a lot of really cool looks from a lot of people,” said Isgett. “It was a good unifying event in the community.” Around 135 people joined the ministers on the walk. This was the first year Summerton has held a Stations of the Cross event, and Isgett states it won’t be the last. The hope is to include more churches and repeat the walk every year.

St. Matthias holds services at 10:30 each Sunday morning. During the school year, Sunday School classes for adults and children are held at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.

Isgett loves his congregation. With a unique mix of northern retirees and long-standing southern families, a warm and inviting body has been created.

“When Paul speaks to the church being made up of different members all functioning together, that’s clearly visible here—that you have so many different talents and gifts within the different parts and pieces, and how unified and how welcoming that functions. It really is a body of Christian love. You see it expressed in the lives of the individuals,” said Isgett. “It’s really cool to minister to that.”