Orangeburg man to be first African-American to lead Presbyterian Church

. The spiritual leader of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) credits his Orangeburg upbringing in helping him become the first black to head the 300-year-old denomination.

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson was elected Stated Clerk of the church last month in Portland, Oregon. The denomination is more than 90 percent white.

Nelson tells The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg that it’s a time of transition in society and the life of the church and he’s humbled to serve.

Nelson comes from a long line of Presbyterian pastors. His father, James Herbert Nelson, was a former state conference president of the NAACP.

The elder Nelson also was active in 1968 efforts to desegregate a local bowling alley when three students were killed in what became known as the Orangeburg Massacre.