wfn.org | United Methodist congregation battles back from brink of closure

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 12, 1998	Contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
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By Woody Woodrick*

Logic said Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, in central Mississippi,
should be closed.

However, folks in the surrounding rural community are learning that
faith is stronger than logic. The result is a church that has gone from
pending closure to growth.

Cedar Grove has been in Smith County, southeast of  Jackson, Miss., for
more than 100 years. However, as families moved away, membership
dwindled. When the pastor, the Rev. Ron Kemp, arrived, the church had
two members. He didn't even have enough members to have the required
board of trustees. The two members in the church were Aulton Russell,
then 92, and Troy Husband, in his 80s.

"I told them I was brought there to close them down," Kemp said. "They
started dragging people to church. They realized that was a turning
point."

The work to save the church was done by the congregation, he said. As
word spread that the church might be closed, people began attending
again. Some had never had a church home. Many were members of other
churches and simply wanted Cedar Grove United Methodist Church to stay
open.

Then things really began happening. Members realized their church
building needed improvements, and some work was done. However, extensive
renovations would be costly. About this time, the church received a
$300,000 gift from the estate of Judge Luther David Pittman. Nearby
Raleigh United Methodist Church also received $300,000 from Pittman.

Cedar Grove members then made a tough decision. Instead of renovating
their building, they tore it down and built a new one. The new church
building will be consecrated, or made sacred as a United Methodist
church, on May 17. Bishop Jack Meadors is scheduled to be at the
service.

Bobbie Britt of Brandon is one of the congregation members who worked to
keep the church open. Russell is her father, and she said she grew up in
the church.

"I made my profession of faith there in 1951," said Britt, who works for
the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. "The altar was still there. I
couldn't let the church close."

Britt said she believes Pittman's gift to the church was an answer to
prayer.

"There was a need in the community to reach out to people, but we had no
facility," she said.

Now the church averages more than 20 people for Sunday service, and
members are reaching out to others in their community. Britt and Kemp
cited an area resident battling cancer who received a monetary gift.
Another resident's home burned, and the church contributed to help
rebuild. And when a local family faced financial woes, Cedar Grove again
shared its resources.

"We just walked out in faith," Britt said. "The roots were always there.
They never did die. This is just like spring and everything is
blooming."

One way the church is blooming involves community outreach. Kemp said
Cedar Grove is working with Raleigh United Methodist Church to bring in
a psychologist for a grief and care-giving program because the area has
many elderly residents.

They also plan an after-school program to teach children how to deal
with anger and fear. Kemp said the program was prompted by tragedies in
which young people were accused of shooting schoolmates in nearby Pearl,
as well as in Paducah, Ky., and Jonesboro, Ark.

"We're not trying to do what churches have always done," Kemp said.
"We're trying new ways of doing ministry. We're not having Sunday school
but having Bible study instead."

The church is growing not only in attendance but financial contributions
too, Britt said.
"People are giving more than ever in church history," she said. "They're
also working at the church during the week."

Britt cited Galatians 6:9 as a verse that describes what has happened at
Cedar Grove: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Britt said she believes the church will continue to grow. "I see nothing
but growth if we continue with outreach. We can't let up.

"People are hungry for the spiritual food of Jesus Christ," she said.
"People want to know you really care."

# # #

*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate, the
newspaper of the Mississippi Conference.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
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http://www.umc.org/umns/