......................................................................... Methodism 1866-1886 ................................................................................................by Mary Jane Layne In 1855 the name of the Third Street Methodist Episcopal Church had been changed to Centenary M.E. Church, South and on May 2, 1860, the congregation had dedicated a new building at 1020-22 Church Street. This structure (which we call Old Centenary) was considered, at that time, to be the finest church building in the Virginia Conference, costing $17,000. Later it was moved to Memorial Ave. and became Parkview U.M. Church. In 1866 when our twenty year period begins the Rev. W. E. Judkins, pastor of Centenary, was striving to pay off the indebtedness on the new church building. In 1870 the Rev. G.W. Langhorne began to improve the church. To help pay for this work the ladies of the church held feasts, usually in Dudley Hall "and such feasts they were!" 1872 was ushered in by the Methodists with their Watch Night Services at Centenary Church. Centenary was actively engaged in the spread of Methodism and the formation of new congregations during this time. Mr. R.F. Henning, a leading member of Centenary's Board of Stewards, was largely responsible for establishing the Methodist Church in Madison Heights which was dedicated in 1873. Sponsored by Centenary, Trinity Chapel, later Trinity U.M.C. was erected on Grace St. and dedicated on July 20, 1884. A joint mission project of Centenary and Court St. Methodist was Danielstown Chapel erected at the corner of Cabell St. and Hutter Alley (now H Street) in 1880. This congregation grew and became Rivermont Avenue Methodist later merging with Old Centenary to become the present (2006) Centenary U.M.C. at 1501 Rivermont Avenue. In April 1875 successful revivals were held both at Centenary M.E. Church and the Presbyterian Church. The churches were crowded night after night and it was not unusual to see a large number of people waiting at the church door before dark waiting to get seats. The interest was so great that little was talked about on streets and in public places except religion. A play was advertised to show at Holcomb Hall for several nights but the attendance was so small that they had to close after the first night. The newspaper gave columns to reports of the meetings, and one issue speaks of them as follows: "Rosser and Howard (the evangelists) are making them warm and lively; they are shaking the foundation of sin, and are going for the sinners with a vim and are hauling them in in crowds. They have got the 'old boy' on the run, and are following up the advantage sharply."Before the meetings ended there were over 300 professions of faith at Centenary. Starting in the latter part of March 1884 a revival meeting was again conducted at Centenary by the pastor George C. Vanderslice assisted by the Rev. James Howell. This revival continued until May and there were 260 conversions. An important event on the national level during this period was the organization of women interested in mission activities to help women and girls. As torrential rain and thunder raged outside a Boston church in late March 1869, a group of committed women seeking ways to respond to the spiritual and physical needs of women and girls in India, met and resolved to organize the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Within ten months of its inception, the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society sent Isabella Thoburn, an educator , and Clara Swain, a doctor, to India to begin work among women and girls. Mrs. Thoburn organized a small class that became a school and grew to become the first Christian college for women in Asia-Isabella Thoburn College. Clara Swain Hospital was the first hospital established for women in Asia. This was the first time single women were sent by the church as missionaries outside the United States. Their emphasis on education and medicine was the first of many, many such institutions and emphases in all parts of the world. which receive support from the United Methodist Women's undesignated giving. With approximately one million members, UMW is the largest lay women's organization of a major protestant denomination in the US.

Part Two