Union Chapel United Methodist Church is distinguished by its tall steeple and its 167 years of homecomings.
Union Chapel United Methodist Church has an outstanding sign to announce its presence.
Union Chapel United Methodist Church has a special connection with this Church in the Wildwood song.
The Union Chapel United Methodist Church with almost 100 attending the church’s 150th homecoming in 2008.
On the Union Chapel church fellowship wall is the poem,“Union Chapel: Our Church in the Wildwood.”
Vera Moffitt is lay minister for the Union Chapel United Methodist Church.
Curtis Culwell, left, joins James Ruby who is bringing part of the covered dish lunch for Union Chapel’s homecoming. At one time, Culwell was superintendent for Pittsburg, Lubbock and Garland school districts.
Rhonda Tyson of Atlanta is playing special music to sing with the guitar for the Union Chapel homecoming.
Union Chapel celebrates 167 years
Union Chapel United Methodist Church may be 167 years old, but it’s one of the liveliest, youngest churches around. It thinks of itself as being the “little brown Church in the Wildwood.”
In fact, there’s a poem to that effect on the church’s fellowship hall wall written by J. V. Womack in 1985. It starts off: “Union Church - you are our Church in the Wildwood By a slow and lazy stream The Body of Christ of our childhood Recurring in our thoughts and dreams.”
And congregation members returning for homecoming expect to sing “Church in the Wildwood” first. That’s what Anna Bryant was waiting for a few minutes before 11 a.m. church time Sunday.
“We sing Church in the Wildwood’ first. That’s what I’ve come for. Let’s see if we do it this time. I’m going inside to see right now.”
And the church did sing the wildwood song first, sweetly and with all four verses including the chant 19 times of the “Oh, come, come, come, come, come … etc.”
With such a homecoming, Union Chapel wildwooders return almost to an imaginary youth. Why, just across the road from the church and cemetery — maybe 100 yards away, is the wooden elementary school, still white but empty.
And the church is still “united” Methodist, that is, not having joined the Global Methodists in splitting recently. When the Union Chapel parishioners gathered to consider, one reported, “We just didn’t want to divide. That’s all.”
And so the some 50 homecomers this year met at 11 a.m. to follow the Methodist order of worship which goes Call to Worship, Affirmation of Faith, Gloria Patri, Doxology, Scripture, Hymn and Pastoral Prayer as led by Lay Minister Vera Moffitt.
Following church, parishioners enjoyed a covered dish luncheon and the meeting of the cemetery association.
The cemetery is vital, too, with prominent names including Ted Thompson who was gener- al manager for the Green Bay Packers football team. Richard Griffin, first victim in the 1940s moonlight murders that launched “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” is here, too.
Union Chapel may be 167 years old but is still community, a place to come home to. It has a history that the church has produced 12 ordained ministers, a distinction at one time.
And so, Womack’s poem concludes: “We like to think we’ll meet you there Union Chapel beyond the gate We’ll chat away the timeless time What a sweet and blissful fate.”
… J. V. Womack, 1985