Cunningham UMC: The Gathering Place
Sunday, February 10, 2019, was a special day for Cunningham UMC. “The Gathering Place” was dedicated. The Gathering Place is a new Fellowship Hall for Cunningham and it was used to its fullest on Sunday. The Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Frost is the pastor at Cunningham UMC and Tom led the service and preached a wonderful sermon. Holy Communion was served and afterwards everyone was invited to the new “Gathering Place” for a Dedication Service.
We sang songs while walking next door and the Choir stood along the sidewalk making sure that everyone was singing together. Richard Payne, Mark Liles, our own Randy Shelton, Joyce Black and Pastor Tom Frost all spoke about the building and what it would add to the church and the community. David Eddy read a poem he had written entitled, We Join One With Another. After a Prayer of Consecration, we all joined together for a wonderful meal. The “Gathering Place” has a large Fellowship Hall, two large classrooms and new restrooms. Because of a special gift, the kitchen was completed and this was the first meal to be served from it. The building has 2800 square feet of space and every inch of it will be used for fellowship and “Gatherings.”
The idea of a new Fellowship Hall began in 2002 when the Building Fund was started. The church began soliciting funds and launched a Capital Campaign in 2015. In February 2017, the Council asked the Building committee to move forward. On January 28, 2018, a Church Conference approved a proposal to move forward with a 2800 square foot multi-purpose building, with two handicapped accessible bathrooms, two classrooms and a kitchen.
To make this a reality based on the current fundraising, the church would need an additional $250,000. The Virginia United Methodist Development Company provided a loan and a Commitment Letter was received on April 6, 2018. A Ground Breaking Service was held on June 10. On July 13, 2018 additional land was donated so the new drain field could be installed. All of this came together on February 10, 2019 when “The Gathering Place” was dedicated.
Cunningham United Methodist Church is located at 3389 Thomas Jefferson Parkway in Palmyra, Virginia. The church is located in a growing area in the center of our state and it now stands ready to share the love of Christ with all who live around it. The members are proud of their new building and they should be. The Virginia United Methodist Development Company is excited to help Cunningham UMC fulfill its dream and stands ready to help your church as well. Give us a call if we can be of service – 804-521-1121.
The pastor at Cunningham UMC is the Chairman of the Board of Managers for the Virginia United Methodist Development and we are grateful for his service and dedication to our Board. The Virginia United Methodist Foundation and Development Company are dedicated to helping local churches and United Methodists across our great State.
