Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Bible Way Church of Atlas Road
This church, founded in 1963, was originally about 3 mi. NW on Bluff Road. It was organized by Elizabeth Simmons (1900-1965), known as "Mother Simmons," Andrew C. Jackson (1927-2006), and eleven other adults and their children. The first church, a modest building, was called "the Little Red Church." Jackson, its first pastor and later a bishop, served this church from 1963 until he retired in 1996.
After the first church burned in 1966, services were held in Atlas Road Elementary School across the street until a new church was built here. That church, chartered as Bible Way Church of Arthurtown but later renamed Bible Way Church of Atlas Road, was dedicated in 1967. Over the next forty years it grew from a few faithful members to more than 10,000, building sanctuaries here in 1981 and 2001.
Erected 2013 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History, sponsored by the Congregation. (Marker Number 40-182.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the South Carolina Historical Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1963.
Location. 33° 56.487′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: William Earle Berne Beltway (approx. Ύ mile away); African-American Heroes of the 371st Regiment (approx. 1.3 miles away); Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Curtiss-Wright Hangar (approx. 2.9 miles away); Woodlands and Millwood (approx. 3 miles away); The "Columbiad" Cannon
Also see . . . Our History page on the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road site. (Submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026
4. Bible Way Church of Atlas Road Marker with the church building in the background
Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 61 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
