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History Of
Lexington United Methodist Church
OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF LEXINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (1849-1997)
1787 and before: - Bishop Francis Asbury 1st brought Methodism to Lexington;
1830 - 49: - Brush Arbor, Rev. Thomas Rall (Rawl) 1st native Methodist preacher;
1850 First Church - Rev. David Derrick, 1st appointed pastor 1850 This was an old doorless building standing on land acquired from Lawrence Charles (Corley); faced Fort Street. There were 5 members.
1875 Second Church - Rev. George Gatlin, pastor, 1874 Met in Lutheran Church during building Frame building with tall steeple on same spot faceing Fort Street. There were still only 5 members.
1910 Third Church - Rev. J. C. Counts, pastor, 1909-1910 This one was a brick, one room, building with an alcove and a chancel area. It faced Main Street instead of Fort Street. There were 139 members.
1949 Fourth Church - Rev. T. A. Inabinet, pastor, 1947-1951 A new church was built on the present site. It included the first educational wing - 2 stories and first rest rooms. It was paid for in one year after occupancy. A new parsonage was built in 1950, next to church. There were 340 members in 1950.
1965 First Expansion Ed. Bldg. - Rev. Ralph Bates, pastor, 1964-1968. The Educational Buildingwas extended, all on ground level. A new side entrance was added and a covered drive on Fort Street. There was a new Social Hall, more classrooms, stage, and parlor . Rev. Delos Corderman, Pastor, 1972-1976. Two morning worship services, 9:00 and 11:00 AM. There were 631 members in 1980.
1981 Second Expansion Sanctuary - Rev. David Spivey, pastor, 1979-1984 - The sanctuary was extended out towards Main Street. Large art glass window was added on the front. There were 793 members in 1985.
1988 Third Expansion Ed. Bldg. - Rev. Fred Reese, pastor, 1984-1991 - The Snelgrove Property beside the church was purchased for $63,000. The Educational building was extended 12,000 sq. ft. Behind the Bates Building. The new extension was consecrated in 1988 in memory of Roy Rhoten. Ruth Arant, the first Diaconal Minister, was employed in 1989 . Rev. Alace Linder, first Associate Minister, was appointed in 1990. There were 900 members.
1991 - 1999 - Rev. John Wesley Ropp, pastor, 1991 - Purchase of Hires property behind the church which was used for youth activities. The youth named the property Decapolis. A tornado in 1994 did extensive damage to the church building, but through the efforts of a dedicated congregation and good insurance, the church fully recovered within one year. There were 1,019 members reported to the Charge conference in 1996.
1999 - Present - Rev. Richard H. (Dickie) Knight - Pastor, Rev. Miyoung Paik, Associate Pastor, 2004 - A major building program was undertaken, which resulted in the addition of the Ministry Center. This building in cluded a basketball size room on the main level and classroom space on the lower. An arts and crafts room was also located on the lower level. The Susanna Wesley Prayer room was added in the upper level as well as a completely equipped audio-visual booth. After purging the rolls of approximately 125 inactive members LUMC membership stood at about 1,200 members in 2006.