The John Wesley United Methodist Church reached a major milestone during 2020 — its 200th anniversary.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic making the celebration of the bicentennial difficult, the congregation is now happy to hold space for the 201st.
Lewisburg Mayor Beverly White is one of the congregants — her affection for it shines when she speaks about its present and its history.
“The fact that we still worship here and it’s 201 years later just shows that we have continued what all of our forefathers have began,” said White. “Our families continued in the church. For that, we’re very thankful.”
Even the early Methodist community in Lewisburg had divisions. The placement of a wooden bar in the outside brick and heightened boards on the second-floor balcony hints at an old outdoor staircase with the marks of racism unfortunately common in history. Though the staircase no longer exists, it was used by slaves and free African Americans to enter the second-story balcony, where they were expected to sit for service.
White provided the History of John Wesley United Methodist Church, a living document that outlines the building and the organization’s history. The first Methodist preaching in Lewisburg was held in 1783 in the home of “a free colored man,” according to the church’s history. The church itself was built “near 1800 … on Lot 61 of the original plot of the town” and was named for John Wesley, the leader of the Evangelical Revival and founder of the Methodist Church in the 1760s.
White highlighted this fact during the tour, both when standing outside the building and on the second-floor balcony.
“This is what was the slave gallery. The door on the outside is where we would come up. I would say that this was the opening. These are some of the original boards. These are some of the pews that were here.”
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| The balcony is now accessed through an indoor staircase, but originally slaves were restricted to the second-story balcony. The balcony was accessed by an outdoor staircase. White pointed to this shot as their perspective when they entered the building. |
The divide began more pronounced when the church split. The history explains that in “1828, a group withdrew [from the Methodist Episcopal Church], protesting the absence of lay representation and founded the Methodist Protestant Church. In 1844, division occurred over slavery. The General Conference of the Methodist Church, which convened in New York in 1844, ‘took a position in the case of Bishop Andrews’ connection with slavery, rendering necessary the division of the original Methodist Episcopal Church.’ … Methodism in Lewisburg followed the trend. A Methodist Episcopal Church — South, was born and a building was erected at Washington and Church Streets, now a part of the Greenbrier College grounds. The northern branch continued to worship in the old German Street edifice.”
White explained the division in more personal terms.
“The white Methodists moved across town and they gave us, the black community, the slaves, the church. It’s been ours ever since,” White said. “We have 1820, the year on everything.”
The church was also involved in the historic Battle of Lewisburg — “On May 22, the Battle of Lewisburg began. The Union forces were under the command of General J. D. Cox and the Confederate forces were commanded by General Henry Heth. The Confederate troops were camped about 100 yards east of the church. During the early morning, the Union force camped behind Lewisburg Academy, began to shell the Confederate forces. One of the guns, breaking from its support, missed its target, causing a cannonball to rupture one side of the church. Today, you can still see the marks where repairs were made on the southwest corner of the church. During the battle, the church was used as a hospital.”
A celebration of the anniversary is set for Sunday, Sept. 19, at 11 a.m., an hour later than normal. White celebrated the leadership of the 49 pastors that have led its congregations. She also highlighted the diversity in the leadership’s history, explaining “we’ve had four women serve as pastors. We’ve had Asian pastors, we’ve had African pastors, we’ve had white pastors. Our pastor now is white, Reverend Eugene Fullen. He’s from Monroe County and has been with us for four or five years.”
“Church is every Sunday at 10 o’clock,” White noted, just one of the faces that could be expected there.
To read two poems penned by White dedicated to the church, its history, and its future, see The West Virginia Daily News online.
