STARRSVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
HISTORY—2001 – Current Year
On February 16, 2001 a wind storm blew almost half the roof off the sanctuary. While no debris went inside the building, the interior was exposed to a large amount of rain. The roof was completely rebuilt within 24 hours. Through tireless efforts of many including trustees Mr. Kevin Lindsey, Mr. Charles Lanier and Mr. Buddy Morgan, the building was completely restored and was able to be used again for worship on Sunday, March 25 after five weeks of having the worship service in the Fellowship Hall. Work included new carpet, woodwork cleaning and refinishing, plaster work and floor sanding. Some repair work was required for the organ while the electronic piano was not damaged. Architectural grade shingles were used for the roof. Insurance covered the entire cost of the repairs.
In the summer of 2001, the parsonage was renovated. The wall between the living room and den was removed to create a more open living space. New furniture and appliances were also purchased. In the spring of 2002 work was completed on a sunroom addition to the back of the parsonage.
On September 16, 2001 the church celebrated the 100th anniversary of the sanctuary at our annual Homecoming. A special history display was prepared with copies of a revised church history and other information available. A record number of people, 166, attended Homecoming that year as Rev. David Moore, Pastor from 1985 - 1990, preached. This was also a new record for attendance for worship. That record would be broken on December 23, 2001 as 185 people were present for worship as the choir and children presented the Christmas cantata, a record that still stands as of this writing.
In the fall of 2002 work was begun on a new kitchen in the area behind the south wing of the Fellowship Hall. The new kitchen includes a commercial hooded gas stove and fryer, a large refrigerator, a new icemaker, a large dishwashing sink, a food preparation sink, a handwash sink and stainless steel counter space. The window from the other kitchen was removed along with the sink to provide entry to the new kitchen. The refrigerator, one stove and the dishwasher from the old kitchen were retained while one stove and the icemaker were sold. A new freezer was added to the old kitchen. The project was overseen by Mr. Buddy Morgan and many members and friends of the church provided much of the work for the new kitchen, which greatly reduced the cost of construction. In the winter of 2003 the new kitchen was ready to be used and greatly helped with twice monthly Wednesday night dinners that were started in 2002.
In order to provide additional land for expansion, two acres of property behind the cemetery were purchased. New choir robes were purchased and were first used on Homecoming Sunday, September 17, 2006. As the church continued to grow, a task force and building committee were formed to determine how we can best serve God as we serve this community. Over several years we accumulated a good start toward a future building program to provide additional Sunday School space, a new nursery and youth space.
One of the needs for new space was realized in 2006 as the house across from the church became available. The house and an acre of land were purchased for $90,000. A new heating and air system was installed and the house was completely renovated. The walls of two bedrooms and three closets were removed to open up the entire front section of the house. Much of the work was done by church members and youth, with the youth, youth leaders and parents painting the bulk of the interior. Mr. Buddy Morgan, Mr. Charles Lanier and Mr. Jimmy Bonner oversaw the renovation. Mr. Bill Corley did the electrical work. Mr. Joe Dudley and Mr. Tim Joyce built a new railing for the deck. Mr. Ronny Cook and Mr. & Mrs. Hunter Bobbitt oversaw the work the youth did. Mrs. Miriam Stone gave a pool table in memory of Mr. Ronald H. Cook, Sr. and funding for paint, renovation work, furniture and exterior painting. Miss Mary Jane Dixon gave three sofas, two high definition televisions and a stereo system. Mr. Dean Hayes gave a laptop computer, Mrs. Margie Lackey and Mrs. Pete Knox gave a refrigerator and Mr. Hunter Bobbitt installed and wired the audio visual system. Many others gave money to the project as well. In addition many people donated used items including Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Hammond, Mr. Dean Hayes, Mr. Scott Hayes, Mr. Trey Couch, Mr. Wesley Couch and Mr. Kevin Marks. The Youth House was completed in December and the first regular UMYF meeting was Sunday, January 7, 2007. On February 11 an open house was held to allow church members and the community to see the new Youth House, with approximately 80 people attending.
In 2007 the church purchased an additional acre of property adjacent to the Youth House. In 2008 the driveway and seven parking spaces were poured in concrete with money provided by Mr. Dean Hayes. Mrs. Jane Anderson donated a picnic table. In 2009 the water system was reworked and the deck was replaced and enlarged. At the church, a new fence was installed around the playground in 2007 and a new sidewalk was built leading from the front of the church to the breezeway in 2009.
In June 2012 Starrsville made history again as we welcomed our first woman Pastor, Rev. Dr. Susan Taylor. In 2013 memorial funds were used to purchase and move the playground. Also new Bibles were placed in the pews in memory of Don Barnes. At the time of this writing we continue to see new families visiting our church and look forward to how God leads us to serve him in the future. Today we offer an active program of children, youth, adult and music ministries. We continue to build off of our rich history to advance the knowledge and love of Christ through the community of Starrsville and beyond.
This history is a compilation of histories written by Mrs. Frances Cook, Mrs. Sarah Dixon, Miss Julia Ewing, Miss Mary Jane Dixon and Mr. Ronald H. Cook, Jr.
STARRSVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH PASTORS
1
Old Wooden Church
(No records available prior to 1867)
Rev. W. W. Evans1867-1868
Rev. Joseph Singleton1868
Rev. W. C. Malloy1868-1869
Rev. A. W. Roland1869-1870
Rev. W. A. Chandler1870-1871
Rev. Miles W. Arnold1872
Rev. J. H. Harris1873
Rev. M. F. Malsby1874-1875
Rev. Rosser1876-1877
Rev. Sam P. Jones1878
Rev. W. W. Oslin1879
Rev. W. C. Dunlap1880
Rev. E. A. Gray 1881
Rev. C. A. Conoway1882
Rev. W. A. Farris1883
Rev. Koscinsks Reed1884
Rev. James L. Pierce1885
Rev. W. A. Parks1886-1887
Rev. W. R. Branham1888-1890
Rev. R. F. Eakes1891
Rev. J. H. Daniels1892
Rev. R. A. Eakes1893
Rev. O. C. Simmons1894
Rev. H. W. Joiner1895
Rev. H. S. Embry1896
Rev. A. C. Cantrell1897-1899
Rev. J. J. Ansley1900-1901
New Brick Church
Rev. S. P. Wiggins1902-1903
Rev. F. R. Smith1904
Rev. W. L. Bell1905-1906
Rev. J. T. Eakes1907
Rev. J. D. Milton1908-1911
Rev. L. M. Elliott1912
Rev. J. R. Allen1913-1914
Rev. B. H. Trammell1915-1916
Rev. W. S. Branham1917
Rev. J. F. Davis1918-1919
Rev. C. S. Martin1920-1921
Rev. J. L. Pendley1922
Rev. J. Christian1923
Rev. S. H. Dimon1924
Rev. C. A. Hall1925
Rev. J. S. Strickland1925
Rev. G. W. Tumlin1926-1927
Rev. A. O. Baggerly1928
Rev. W. B. Mills1929-1930
Rev. L. M. Davidson1931-1932
Rev. J. J. Farr1933-1934
Rev. H. O. Green1937
Rev. H. O. Green, Jr.1938
Rev. Jesse Warwick1939
Rev. O. L. Vickery1940
Rev. William Moon1940-1943
Rev. C. J. Grilhe1944-1945
Rev. W. B. Hughes1946
Rev. V. B. Hambrick1947
Rev. H. B. Landrum1948-1951
Rev. T. W. Taylor1952-1953
Rev. Walter Y. Murphy1953-1955
Rev. Robert A. Kerr1955-1957
Rev. E. W. Dunagan1957-1958
Rev. J. R. Baxter1958-1959
Rev. Asbury Craft1959-1962
Rev. W. E. Berry1962-1963
Rev. James W. Thurmond, Jr.1963-1966
Rev. Eddie Walton1966-1967
Rev. J. R. Burton1968-1870
Rev. L. E. Thompson1970-1974
Rev. James F. Tynan , Sr.1974-1976
Rev. Randell R. Mickler, Jr.1976-1978
Rev. Luther E. Cooper1978-1980
Rev. Floyd L. Wells1980-1981
Rev. Benjamin E. Sorrow1981-1983
Rev. Stephen Grantham
(Associate) 1982-1983
Full Time Appointment
Rev. Jody Alderman1983-1985
Rev. David F. Moore1985-1990
Rev. Glenn Ethridge1990-1992
Rev. Stephen A. Moore1992-1995
Dr. Larry Hannah1995-1997
Rev. Thomas McElroy1997-2001
Rev. Steve Chenoweth2001-2002
Rev. Chris Shurtz2002-2007
Rev. Billy Lewis2007-2011
Rev. Brian Davis2011-2012
Rev. Dr. Susan Taylor2012-Present
1