What’s next for historic St. James Baptist Church relocation on Hilton Head Island?
It has been six years since the congregation from St. James Baptist Church on Hilton Head Island agreed to relocate their church — which has proudly stood in the same location since the 1880’s — out of the local airports’ runway protection zone.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, it is no longer safe for the faithful to worship there.
On Tuesday, local leaders came together to share a long-awaited timeline and funding plan to move the project forward.
What’s the plan?
By mid-2027, the new sanctuary could be opening its new doors at its new location two miles away on Union Cemetery Road.
On Tuesday, elected officials and employees of Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head Island met with a consultant and church leaders to discuss updates on the project, which includes building a new sanctuary and fellowship hall and relocating the neighboring Cherry Hill School. The group meets several times a year to discuss these updates.
The timeline provided closure for Herbert Ford, a member of the church’s congregation and its board of trustees. One of two congregation members who voted against the relocation in 2018, Ford has since consented to the congregation’s decision. He represents the majority’s interests in meetings with public officials.
“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, which is what we have been seeking for six years,” Ford said during the meeting.
A painstaking decision
The church is the oldest continuously operating cultural institution in Mitchelville, the north-end village on the island that was established for freed slaves. Its congregation was formed in the 1880s by Gullah Geechee freedmen who founded Mitchelville after the Civil War. It remains a place of worship for about 175 islanders, according to Ford.
The school was built 88 years ago in 1937. The one-room school house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
In 2018, the airport extended the runway by 700 feet, allowing larger planes to land at the local airport. But it also extended the federally mandated runway protection zone over both the church and school.
The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that the airport own all buildings in the protection zone and advises that they should be empty. There is no required timeline for relocation unless the airport proposes a land-use change, according to a FAA statement.
The church decided through a majority vote that they would relocate. The town, county and church congregation have been collaborating since then to find a new home for the church on terms all parties could agree to.
The decision was painstaking for the congregation, Ford said during an interview in one of the church’s small back rooms.
Ford grew up in the church. He recalled going to Sunday School, heading straight to the service, seeing family members, neighbors and teachers in the pews and going back home for family dinner once it ended.
Ford’s father was Chairman of the Deacon Board in 1975 when a small plane with eight passengers took off from the airport and crashed in the yard right next to the church, Ford said. That was when the church started facing pressure to relocate — and Ford’s father, along with other church leaders, decided the church would stay.
Pointing toward the front of the church, Ford described a 103-year-old congregation member who lived across the street from the church for her entire life before passing away last year. She never wanted to look outside of her front door and not see the church, he remembered her saying.
When will construction begin?
An estimated timeline for the project was presented at the Tuesday meeting by Jared Fralix, assistant county administrator of infrastructure for Beaufort County. Fralix estimated that by the end of 2025, they would be ready to move dirt. Kenneth Belton, a church-building consultant, anticipated that the project should take about 18 months to complete.
This means by the second quarter of 2027, the church could be able to open its doors to the congregation at its new location on Union Cemetery Road.
The ultimate timeline depends on the timelines of different permitting agencies, Fralix said.
The total cost of the project combines the cost of construction and the land cost, Fralix said. It comes out to approximately $12.7 million.
The majority of the project’s funding comes from the state. Sen. Tom Davis helped to secure $4 million from the state’s budget and an additional $750,000 specifically for constructing the fellowship hall. The town and county have each contributed $150,000.
Fralix presented potential options that could make up the remaining $7 million difference. The county has requested that the town split the difference equally, Fralix said. The county has already solidified their $3.5 million, said Fralix. The county has also requested an additional $2 million supplement in state appropriation.
The bid process could begin in June, with bids potentially awarded in July, according to Belton.
This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM.
