COLUMBIA (WACH) -- When members of Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church are asked about who the anchor of their congregation is, they think of Olivia Chestnut.
Miss Olivia, as they call her, has been a member of the church since the early 1940’s, and has touched many lives along the way.
“It’s like a family, a second family,” says Chestnut.
The 91-year-old has taught Sunday school and was a member of the altar guild for more than 50-years. Her service in the church is recognized by a plaque in the sanctuary.
Irene Painter says Miss Olivia taught her everything she knows about being on the altar guild. Miss Olivia was Painter’s Sunday school teacher as a child. Painter says there’s one particular story from a Sunday she’ll never forget.
“A little boy in the class asked is it wrong to cut grass on Sunday,” remembers Painter. “She (Miss Olivia) thought for a minute and said as long as you don’t stay home from church to do it!”
Most members of Saint Timothy’s have their own Miss Olivia stories to share; something Miss Olivia says humbles her.
WACH Fox news will continue to highlight mothers of the church during the month of May.
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