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Lifetimes of Faith: First United Methodist marking 225 years in Parkersburg

By Brett Dunlap 5 min read

PARKERSBURG -- A local church is commemorating what was the start of its congregation 225 years ago.

The First United Methodist Church in Parkersburg will be commemorating its 225th Anniversary this weekend with a concert on Saturday and a special service on Sunday.

"We are going to be gathering the first weekend in June, because June 1, 1799, is the date the first Methodist pastor came to this area," said current pastor the Rev. Alicia Randolph Rapking. "There have already been Methodist societies in this area before that, but they had not been organized into a church.

"June 1, 1799 is the date we have recognized for all of our history for the beginning of what has become this congregation."

The church will be holding a concert featuring the Bach Cantata No. 140 and several other pieces at 4 p.m. Saturday at the church located at 1001 Juliana St. with their "choir and friends," Rapking said.

"This church has been known for its music for decades," she said.

Organist/Pianist Jimmy Sundquist will also be performing a few pieces.

The performance is open to the public with a reception to follow.

Then the main celebration will be during services on Sunday morning starting at 10:45 a.m. Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball will be the guest preacher that day.

"There will be some former pastors who will return that day and have a part in the service," Rapking said. "We will also be dedicating the renovation done to our bell tower that day.

"That will be followed by a fellowship meal."

Rapking is inviting anyone who has been a part of anything they have done to come and be a part of the celebration this weekend.

The bell tower project has been underway for the last three years. As the building ages, things happened and it was to a point where they needed to do something to repair it or it would have been detrimental to the structure of the building. The repair work fixed water damage, redoing stonework and more to make it structurally sound.

The $200,000 project was paid for with endowments and the efforts of church members and former members. The project is paid for and the church is not in debt right now.

"We have accomplished that," Rapking said.

Many people throughout the community have been impacted by First United Methodist Church over the years, either by the music program or other programs the church has done.

Their current building has been in place since 1911, but the church and its congregation over the years has been a part of Parkersburg since 1799.

"There are people who have gone through the various church buildings over the years," Rapking said. "We are celebrating that history.

"We are also looking towards the future, because there are all kinds of things that need to be done."

Being United Methodists, they embrace the teachings of John Wesley who was concerned with the "heart and soul and the spirit" of every person, she said, adding he taught them to do no harm and to do all the good they can and to continue to love God.

"That is the core of the basis of our existence," Rapking said. "That is what we are still going to do."

The church, in the beginning, was in the area to help support the people settling this region when it was still very much a wilderness.

"I am proud that there were people called 'Methodist' who were here from the beginning of Parkersburg's history," Rapking said. "I celebrate that."

In the years leading up to the Civil War, there was a crisis in Methodist Church nationwide which ended up in this area as well where the congregation of the church continued to support the continuation of the Union, then known as the Methodist Episcopal Church. There was a split locally where a group within the church formed another church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Henry Logan, a member of the church, helped the congregation to support what became Logan Memorial, a church for newly freed African-Americans, which was a former location for First United.

Rapking is now the pastor of both churches, which came together last November.

"We try to do things together, we have encouraged each other and we have had services together," Rapking said. "I am hoping we can continue to have ministries together that will support all the folks who might need anything in this area.

"I am very proud of that."

Like many churches, they are smaller than they used to be, but in her 37 years of ministry she has never served a church "that is more generous, more loving and more faithful," she said.

"As we look to the next 25 years and beyond, I see a future where both of these congregations serve this community in whatever way God gives us," Rapking said. "We are looking towards the future and what we can do to help make Parkersburg a more safe and inviting place to be for all people."

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com

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