Main Street UMC celebrates
Published 10:06 pm Thursday, October 23, 2014
When Main Street United Methodist Church began its Suffolk ministry, Thomas Jefferson was the president.
That puts into perspective just how long the church has existed in the area since the Rev. Frances Asbury formed a Methodist Society in Suffolk in 1801.
The Rev. Myrtle Hatcher shows off bricks from the foundation of Main Street United Methodist Church’s first site farther north from its current location on North Main Street. The 213-year-old church is celebrating 100 years of its current building beginning this Sunday.
The church will celebrate that long history of service during the next two years, beginning this Sunday with an official kickoff honoring the 100th anniversary of the laying of the current building’s cornerstone.
“It’s 100 years in this building, but 213 years in this community,” the Rev. Myrtle Hatcher said on Thursday.
By the time two years have passed, the church will be celebrating 100 years of actually worshiping in its current building, as well as 215 years of ministry.
At 202 N. Main St., the current building is the congregation’s third. It first met in Union Chapel, built in present-day Cedar Hill Cemetery, which was a common meeting house for several local congregations.
In 1823, the first building was dedicated on a lot just south of the future Seaboard Railroad Station. Part of the original church building is now an apartment complex, and remains of the brick foundation are visible around the site.
In 1861, the congregation moved to 318 N. Main St., near the first building. Both buildings were used by Union troops during the Civil War.
In 1912, the congregation needed a new building. Members Judge and Mrs. James L. McLemore traveled to England to visit several cathedrals, searching for a model for the new building.
The Durham Cathedral, built by the Normans in 1093 in Northern England, became the inspiration for the new building. The Masonic Lodge No. 30 laid the cornerstone in 1914.
A representative of the Masonic Lodge will be in attendance Sunday, said Barbara McPhail, communications chair for the celebration.
Many others will be in attendance, as well — more than 600 invitations have been sent out, McPhail said.
Sunday’s service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and include two special songs written by members of the congregation, as well as the dedication of 10 new banners to depict all the seasons of the church year, in memory of Robert Morris Brooks Jr., a church leader who died in April. Visitors also will be able to view a display along a wall near the sanctuary that features photographs and a full history of the church.
Many special events are planned throughout the next two years, including a Nov. 2 event celebrating 100 “saints” of the church for All Saint’s Day. The events culminate on June 12, 2016, with a service of rededication.
