Methodism in Saluda

Last Sunday, I traveled down to the small town of Saluda, SC to speak as part of St. Paul United Methodist Church's homecoming celebration.  I'm not ordained, so I'm not sure if I can legally call what I did preaching, but my address took the place of the sermon.  I like to refer to these kind of addresses as "history sermons."  I was invited to do one of these a few years ago, so it did not feel quite so odd this time.  

In my sermon, I talked about the church's history, the history of Methodism, and why I think we ought to preserve history.  St. Paul in Saluda is about 111 years old.  Saluda County was created in 1895, and the town of Saluda established as the county seat soon thereafter.  The church was built not long after the town was built, and they have been on their same site all this time. Their first church was a frame structure, but in the early 1910s, they had grown to the point that they needed a new building.  

A lot of South Carolina's small towns experienced a burst of prosperity around 1910.  So much of the state had been economically devastated by the Civil War that only an upswing in the price of cotton in the early 20th century brought a measure of wealth back into the state.  Several towns like Saluda built a number of nicer public buildings, churches, railroad hotels, and the like in the decade before World War I.  The agricultural recession after that war, followed by the Great Depression, put a halt to a lot of new building, and so you often find small towns that still have a little of the early 20th century flavor.  A lot of them were too poor to remodel or tear down those buildings.  Unfortunately, a lot of these towns seem to be on hard times today.  

What Saluda's economy is like I can't say, but St. Paul UMC is very much alive.  They're a station appointment - that is, they support their own full-time minister, Dr. Tom Norrell.  Dr. Norrell and I have known each other for a good number of years, as I was a student assistant in the archives when he was doing graduate school research.  The church has about 350 members, and it has been beautifully maintained.  The membership seemed to be a good mixture of younger and older members, with long-time and newer members to boot.  They felt very much alive.  

Each congregation in its own way makes a contribution to its community and to Methodism in the state.  Many of St. Paul's former ministers have gone on to significant posts in the conference.  They've also sent out a few ministers from their membership.  Their members have served on conference boards.  That's all important.  But, just as importantly, they stand in that town as a symbol of the United Methodist Church and all it represents, and they carry the church's mission out into their community.  And if all they do is represent our connection, then they are serving their purpose.  

I told the congregation last Sunday that they had a proud history and they have done a great deal to preserve it.  They've got a story to share with their community.  I hope they keep sharing it.  

Comments

[bayilik]

Hello Sir;

Saluda looks like a very nice place according to your telling.And thanks for your explanations about Saluda.
http://www.girisimciyim.org