First United Methodist has a long history of service

The Methodists have been in Burke County for a long time. The first Methodist congregation with a church structure was at Gilboa, five miles south of Morganton, before 1846.

According to an account from 1901 written by W. C. Ervin, “at the very time when the first building committee was soliciting (funds) for building the Morganton Methodist Church, the noise of the fife and drum was heard on the streets of the tiny village of Morganton, and recruits were being hurried to the front for a war with Mexico under the presidency of North Carolinian James K. Polk.”

First Methodist Church of Morganton built their first structure in 1847. Until 1876 they were part of the Morganton Circuit, which at different times included Marion and Hickory.

This lasted on and off until 1890, when it became an independent “station” for good. Ground for a new building in downtown Morganton was broken in September 1899.

The author of this early history included this charming description of one prominent member at the time: “The talented wife of the late N.C. Governor Caldwell, Mrs. Tod R. Caldwell, a woman of splendid intellect, abounding in Christian charity and good works, was during her life a consistent member and a constant attendant on the services of the church.”

The lot where the present church structure stands at the corner of King and Collett streets was purchased in 1926. After a long process of raising funds through the Great Depression and World War II, a portion of the new church was completed for Sunday school in 1952.

Dedication of the new church sanctuary was held in April 1954. Stones for the distinctive native stone exterior were donated by A.P. Causby.

A beautiful new addition of a 642-seat fellowship hall, new lobby with elevator to make the rest of the church handicap-accessible, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and expanded administrative office, library, and conference room were built in 1992.

Invested in the community

Present Senior Minister Dan Hester offers this assessment of the present FUMC.

“One of the many things I enjoy about this congregation is how invested they are in the community. The members of First UMC expect the congregation to be making a positive difference in the city and county.”

First United Methodist Church is certainly active in local ministries and numerous mission ventures.

A few examples of these offerings include:

• Grace Ridge Sunday Service
• Emergency Shelter Network with area churches
• Prison Ministry Team
• Wood for Winter Warmth ministry
• BUCM Kitchen Ministry Teams
• Backpack Ministry with Forest Hill Elementary
• Open Door Ministry
• Participation in the annual Mission Morganton day of mission projects throughout Burke County by an ecumenical group of local churches.

When I served as an associate minister at First Baptist Church of Morganton, I was an initiator and planner-promoter of Mission Morganton for over two decades. I remain deeply grateful for the enthusiastic participation in Mission Morganton by the First United Methodist Church of Morganton congregation over many years.

Lay leader, Helen Keller, says she thinks that First UMCM has certainly taken seriously the maxim of the founder of the revival movement known as Methodism, Charles Wesley:

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,

In all the ways you can, in all the places you can,

To all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

The Cobb Preaching Mission

First UMCM used a generous bequest from the Beatrice Cobb estate to establish the Cobb Preaching Mission, which brought eminent (often nationally and internationally-known) scholars, theologians, preachers, and Christian lay leaders to Morganton for a series of services annually, usually in the autumn. The services were a wonderful gift to the community!

They combined inspiring worship experiences with fellowship opportunities across denominational lines. Each service included exceptional music, some local, such as the church’s own Bibba Whitener on organ, Freedom High Chamber Singers, church and community hand bell choirs; along with special talent from outside the community which included the Carolina Brass and the Pfeiffer College Choir and Greensboro College Chorale.

These lasted from 1981, when the featured speaker was Dr. Jameson Jones, then Dean of the Duke Divinity School, until the COVID pandemic in 2020. The last preaching mission featured popular Christian entertainer/speaker Ed Kilbourne.

Being the church together

Kay Childres was Minister of Congregational Care, serving First UMCM for 40 years, working with children for many years and with Senior Adults. Her job title was Minister of Congregational Care.

She says, “My happy place for the past 40 years has been the big rock building on the corner of King and Queen Streets in Morganton that is the hub of the First United Methodist Church congregational life.

“I have received many blessings, made many life-long friends and served my Lord and Savior there. I love the people who worship in that beautiful rock building right in the middle of town. I have sung many times with them, ‘I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together.’

“It is my hope that for many years to come First United Methodist Church will continue to grow, serve God, and be the church together.”