First Presbyterian Church of Rock Hill has been blessed with a rich heritage of faith, determination, and growth. The church began in 1854 as an outpost of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, our mother church, which was founded 2 years after the end of the American Revolution. The outpost church was called Antioch Chapel and was located near the railroad station that became known as Rock Hill. As the town grew around the railroad, the chapel was put on log rollers and moved to our current site in 1858 in the heart of Old Town.

The congregation was officially chartered as First Presbyterian in 1869. Our current sanctuary was built in 1894-1895. The first pipe organ in Rock Hill was installed in our sanctuary in 1905. It was replaced by the current pipe organ in 1961. An educational building, Lingle Hall, was constructed in 1923, then razed and rebuilt in 1999 to become The Joe Hopkins Ministry Center that exists today. The Ministry Center includes a competitive sized basketball court and commercial grade kitchen.

First Presbyterian has a history of mission support at home and abroad. In 1891 the congregation began support of the first foreign missionary, Miss Mattie Ingold (later Mrs L. B. Tate).  Upon completion of her medical training, she went as a medical missionary to Korea in 1897.  In 1898, she opened a clinic for women and children and that was the beginning of what is now The Presbyterian Medical Center, jeonju, Korea. In 1913, the church also recognized the growing needs of the Rock Hill community and the importance of Winthrop College by organizing a new congregation which is Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church. First Presbyterian provided its original 192 members. Today Oakland Avenue has over 800 members.