DARLINGTON — The congregation of the Darlington United Methodist Church will celebrate 175 years of ministry on Father’s Day morning, June 19. Members and friends of the church are invited to join in the celebration.
From 8 to 10 a.m., a free breakfast will be provided in the church dining hall. At the same time, tours will be provided of the newly decorated education center. Historical artifacts and memorabilia will be on display in the education center and live music will be provided in the sanctuary up until the start of the celebratory worship service at 10:30 a.m.
The worship service will feature messages from Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Asst. Bishop Dan Schwerin, District Superintendent Scott Carlson, as well as from current and former pastors of the church. A ‘Service of Rededication and Renewal’ will be conducted as part of the program and will feature music from the church choir and a video of the church’s history, among other special presentations.
Darlington Methodism had its origins in a log schoolhouse on the Jameson Hamilton farm in 1847. Religious services were held there until 1853 at which time the members moved their meetings to the new schoolhouse that was erected in Avon. In 1855, a frame church was built at a cost of $900 in Avon (near where the intersection of Center Hill Rd and Avon Rd are currently located).
In 1861, the Village of Darlington, situated north of Avon, became the County Seat of Lafayette County. Knowing that they must locate where the people lived, the trustees of the church bought a lot in the Village for $1.00. The frame church they had built in 1855 was lifted off its foundation and moved to its new location upon Main Street, which is where the current church remains to this day.
The old, wood-framed church remained Darlington’s Methodist House of Worship until the spring of 1886 at which time it was torn down and a new one started on the same foundation. While it has seen many additions and modifications through the years, it is that church — built in 1886 — that remains standing.
Today, the Darlington church is part of the greater United Methodist Church, which spans the globe and boasts over 12 million members. It is the third largest protestant denomination in the United States. To learn more about the Darlington United Methodist Church, visit www.darlingtonumc.org.
