Small congregations please join us on the campus of Thornwell Home for Children in Clinton, SC on June 2-4, 2010 and participate in a conference especially for smaller membership congregations. This 3-day conference is designed to excite, encourage and empower small churches towards new possibilities and opportunities through joint missions and ministry. Learn more about how “clustering” can revitalize the small church, enlarge its vision and expand its capacity for worship, work and witness. Nationally known consultants such as George Bullard and David Crocker as well as Presbyterians known for their ministry in smaller churches will be present. For further information, go to: www.trinity-presbytery.org and follow the links.

Lake Murray PC youth and Hartness-Thornwell Memorial PC youth have chosen three Sundays this spring to get together, have a great time, and get to know each other better. March 14 was their first gathering on Thornwell’s campus.


“Both youth groups enjoyed devotional time, playing games and having fun together,” said Thornwell Christian Educator Finley Sutton. “It’s nice to have other youth groups on campus and fun for our youth to visit other churches .”


On April 18, Lake Murray PC youth will come back to campus for a pizza party, and then on May 16, Thornwell youth will travel to Lake Murray PC in Columbia, SC, for a cookout.

Eleven Thornwell youth traveled to Montreat on February 26th to attend the weekend-long Trinity Presbytery Senior High Retreat. Associate Youth Pastor, David Jones, of Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC, was the keynote speaker. “Go for the Gold” was the theme for the weekend, encouraging students not to miss an opportunity to give their best efforts in their personal lives as well as in service to others.

Thirteen year-old Thornwell resident Alexis Reese is on a mission. After learning that Mission Possible’s LaHatte School was severely damaged by the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, she began making her plans to help.


“In December, our youth group [Hartness-Thornwell Memorial PC youth] sent presents and cards with Ms. Finley [Finley Sutton, Thornwell’s Christian Educator] to the children of LaHatte School. We were also raising money to provide lunches for the kids at the school. But now, they need a lot more than lunch money,” says Alexis.


In January’s quake, the LaHatte School, located in the mountains north of Port au Prince, was so severely damaged that it will have to be re-built before the students can return to school.


“The school needs to be re-built,” says Alexis, “So I’m asking every cottage on Thornwell’s campus to give up a weekend activity and donate the money to Mission Possible to help re-build the LaHatte School. Our goal at Brophy Cottage is to raise $100 in the month of February. It’s not much, but if everyone on campus and lots of people in our community gives up one activity, and donates that money to rebuild the school, I think we could do it!”


So that everyone’s donations can be made as quickly as possible, Alexis is asking everyone to donate directly to the Mission Possible organization at ourmissionpossible.org.




“I know what it’s like to need someone’s help,” says Alexis. “I’m glad that Thornwell is here to help me; now I want to help the children of Haiti.”

Rev. Tom Malone, former pastor of Belton Presbyterian Church, Belton SC, along with several adults and youth of the church visited Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church on Sunday, January 24, and presented 80 new Bibles to the congregation. This gift is a result of the fantastic fundraising efforts of the Belton PC youth group and adult church choir.


“They [Belton PC youth group] held a hotdog supper and the church choir members paid for the food so that all the proceeds would go to the purchase of the Bibles,” said Thornwell Christian Educator Finley Sutton.


“Their original goal was 60 Bibles but they received enough contributions to purchase 80 Bibles! We are so thankful to all of those who donated their time and money towards this effort. The new Bibles are just wonderful!”


In addition to the Bible presentation, Rev. Malone accompanied a youth quartet from Belton PC as they sang for the congregation during the offertory.

On Sunday, January 10, the congregation of Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian church celebrated the installation of the Reverend Hayes Noble as pastor.


Members of Reverend Noble’s family were present to participate in the service of worship. His mother, Dr. Lynne Noble, professor of Early Childhood Education at Columbia College, Columbia, SC, delivered the installation sermon. Reverend Noble’s Installation Commission were Dr. Alan Arnold, General Presbyter/Stated Clerk of Trinity Presbytery; Elder Lindy Scott, Vice President for Children and Family Ministries at Thornwell; Thornwell President Skip Stansell; and Reverend Noble’s father, Mr. Rick Noble, executive director of First Steps of Columbia, SC.


The handbell choir of Purity Presbyterian Church, Chester, SC under the direction of Mickey Johnson, provided beautiful music for the service. Members of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC where Reverend Noble had served as Director of Youth Ministries were special guests, along with members of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Charleston, SC. A luncheon in Reverend Noble’s honor was held in the campus dining room following the worship service.

The Christmas holiday season at Thornwell is truly a “most wonderful time of year.”


As the children make their wish lists for Santa, they look forward to singing Christmas carols, practicing their parts in the Christmas program, and celebrating with the people they love.


Thanks to the efforts of Thornwell Christian Educator Finley Sutton, and a host of staff and campus volunteers, the children had an opportunity to remember the true meaning of Christmas during the Annual Thornwell Advent Workshop. On December 6, nearly a dozen different activity stations filled the campus dining hall, each designed to help participants focus on the peace, love and hope of the season.


“We made angels and stars out of everything from old hymn books to gold wrapping paper,” said Finley. “Everyone had a great time singing Christmas carols, dressing up as shepherds, kings, Mary and Joseph, and learning about the birth of Christ. But the prayer chain made from the written prayers of the children was the most special. We draped it from the communion table in the church.”


Volunteers from Rocky Springs Presbyterian Church in Laurens, SC, spent the afternoon helping the children learn the Christmas Story through a Nativity scene activity. Following the workshop, more volunteers from Rocky Springs provided a delicious spaghetti supper.


The following Sunday afternoon, the children and youth of Thornwell delivered the Christmas cards made during the workshop to the residents of Presbyterian Home.



“We gave the cards out to the people who live their, then we all sang Christmas carols together”, said Finley. “It was another wonderful Sunday.”


Our campus family Christmas celebration concluded on Thursday, December 17, with the Thornwell annual Christmas Dinner and Candlelight Service. Campus families and staff gathered once again in the dining hall to enjoy a holiday meal, followed by a very special candlelight service at Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church.




While Pastor Hayes Noble read the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke, the children brought the story to life with a reenactment of the blessed event. After the service, campus families were very excited to return to their cottages to open gifts.


Many, many thanks to all our Christmas sponsors!

In early December of 2009, Thornwell Christian Educator, Finley Sutton, traveled to Haiti on a mission trip with Bethany Presbyterian Church to minister to a group of children in a remote mountain village. Before her trip, the youth of Thornwell and the youth of First Presbyterian Church, Clinton, packaged 140 gift bags for the children of Haiti. They also made cards and wrote notes in the Haitian children’s native language (Creole) and placed one in each gift bag.


Each bag could only contain the following items:
1 stick of gum, 1 colored pencil, 1 copied sheet from a coloring book of a Bible story, 1 card, and one strip of stickers – all in a ziplock bag.




“This is just the first of many projects we are planning to accomplish for the children of Haiti,” said Christian Educator, Finley Sutton. “Stay tuned for ways we will be calling on some of our campus family, friends and community for help!”

Please join us for our Christmas Candlelight Service on Thursday, December 17 at 7:00 pm. The service will be held in the sanctuary of the Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church on the campus of Thornwell Home for Children. Parking is available across from the church in the dining hall parking area.


For directions to the campus and a campus map, click here.

Over 100 youth from Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church, and First Presbyterian Church, Clinton, SC, joined gift-wrapping-forces this past Sunday evening (Nov. 8) to package and wrap shoeboxes filled with toys, personal items, t-shirts and school supplies.


“This is an annual event for our Thornwell youth group,” said Thornwell Christian Educator, Finley Sutton. We wrap gifts every year as part of our commitment to the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child gift drive. It’s a fun project, and our group had a great time working with the First PC, Clinton youth!”


Before the packaging and wrapping began, both youth groups gathered at the Thornwell campus recreation center for a pizza party and a time of fellowship.


To find out more about Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child, visit: www.samaritanspurse.org