Rev. C. Nels Ledwell is a native of Union and grew up as an active member of Grace. After college and graduate school, Nels returned to Grace and served on the Church and Society Committee, the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and the Church Council. Nels operated the newly installed church sound system and enjoyed teaching the youth of Grace how to manage the system and make service recordings to give to the shut-ins. Later, he became the Leader of the Methodist Youth Fellowship. This led to Nels receiving a call from God to enter the ministry full-time. While attending Erskine Seminary, Nels served his first two churches in Gaffney, SC, in 1991. After leaving the Asbury-Mesopotamia Charge, he served at Simpsonville UMC of Simpsonville, SC, St. Paul UMC in Saluda, SC, St. Paul’s Waccamaw UMC in Pawleys Island, SC, Trinity UMC in Blythewood, SC, Lebanon UMC in Eastover, SC, and was recently serving as an Independent Methodist at McCormick Methodist Church in McCormick, SC. His plans will include serving as Grace’s minister and spending time running beef cattle on his farm in the Kelton Community. Nels is excited to be Grace’s new minister as of October 5, 2025, and thankful for the opportunity to preach at the church that started his ministry.
