Exhibit 3(a)
                            Certificate of Ownership

                                       29
<PAGE>


                            CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP
                                     MERGING
                          UNION FINANCIAL INTERIM, INC.
                                      INTO
                        UNION FINANCIAL BANCSHARES, INC.
                         (PURSUANT TO SECTION 253 OF THE
                          CORPORATION LAW OF DELAWARE)


    Union Financial Bancshares, Inc., a corporation incorporated on the 20th day
of April, 1994, pursuant to the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware does hereby certify that this corporation owns all the capital
stock of Union Financial  Interim,  Inc., a corporation  incorporated  under the
laws of the State of Delaware, and that this corporation,  by resolutions of its
Board of  Directors  duly  adopted  at a meeting  held on the 21st day of March,
2006,  and attached  hereto,  determined to and did merge into itself said Union
Financial Interim, Inc. which resolutions are in the following words to wit:

    WHEREAS,  the Board of Directors of Union  Financial  Bancshares,  Inc. (the
"COMPANY") has determined  that it is advisable and in the best interests of the
Company to change the  corporate  name of the  Company to  "Provident  Community
Bancshares, Inc.";

    WHEREAS, the Board of Directors has determined that, to avoid the expense of
holding a  stockholder  vote on an amendment  to the  Company's  Certificate  of
Incorporation, it is in the best interests of the Company to create a subsidiary
of the Company (the  "SUBSIDIARY") and subsequently to merge the Subsidiary with
and  into  the  Company,  pursuant  to  Section  253  of  the  Delaware  General
Corporation  Law (the  "SUBSIDIARY  MERGER"),  which  permits the Company as the
surviving corporation of such a merger to change its corporate title without the
need for a vote of stockholders of the Company;

     WHEREAS,  following  the  Subsidiary  Merger,  the Company will continue to
operate under its  Certificate of  Incorporation  and Bylaws in effect as of the
effective date of the Subsidiary Merger;

    WHEREAS, all assets and property (real,  personal,  and mixed,  tangible and
intangible,  chooses in action,  rights, and credits) owned by the Subsidiary at
the  effective  date of the  Subsidiary  Merger  shall  immediately  become  the
property of the Company, and the Company shall be deemed to be a continuation of
the  Subsidiary,  the  rights  and  obligations  of  which  and the  duties  and
liabilities connected therewith shall succeed to the Company; and

    WHEREAS,  the  Subsidiary  Merger  does not effect any  reclassification  or
change of any outstanding  stock of the Company,  and no shares of the Company's
stock are to be issued or delivered in the Subsidiary Merger.



<PAGE>


    NOW,  THEREFORE,  BE IT RESOLVED,  that the  President  and Chief  Executive
Officer or his  designees  (the  "OFFICERS")  are  directed  to take any and all
actions  necessary to  establish a subsidiary  of the Company for the purpose of
merging  with  and  into the  Company  so as to  effectuate  the  change  in the
corporate title of the Company;

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the Company is authorized to subscribe for one
hundred  (100)  shares  of common  stock,  par value  $0.01  per  share,  of the
Subsidiary upon its organization;

    BE IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that the  Subsidiary  Merger  be,  and hereby is,
approved and adopted in accordance  with the foregoing  terms and effective upon
the date that the  Certificate  of Ownership is filed with the  Secretary of the
State of Delaware,  and that the Officers are  authorized  and directed to make,
execute and file said Certificate of Ownership;

    BE IT FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that the  Officers  of the  Company be, and hereby
are,  authorized  and  directed  to take all  action  necessary  and  proper  to
effectuate the Subsidiary Merger;

    BE IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that any  actions  taken by the  Officers  of the
Company prior hereto in relation to the Subsidiary Merger are ratified, approved
and confirmed;

    BE IT FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that  pursuant  to Section  253(b) of the  General
Corporation  Law of the State of Delaware,  the  corporate  title of the Company
upon the filing of the  Certificate of Ownership  shall be changed to "Provident
Community Bancshares, Inc.";

    BE IT FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that the Officers be, and hereby is, authorized to
execute,  deliver and file any agreement,  instrument,  certificate or any other
document  and to take any other  action that such  officer  may deem  necessary,
convenient or  appropriate  to carry out the intent and purpose of the preceding
resolution and to effectuate the transactions contemplated thereby.

    The effective  time of the merger shall be 4:00 p.m.,  Eastern time on April
19, 2006.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this certificate to be signed by
its president and attested by its secretary, and its corporate seal to be hereto
affixed, the 19th day of April, 2006.


                                    By:   /s/ DWIGHT V. NEESE
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Dwight V. Neese
                                          President and Chief Executive Officer

ATTEST:

/s/ WANDA J. WELLS
------------------
Wanda J. Wells
Secretary


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