Welcome to Christ United Methodist Church! Relax and spend some time with us. The information on this site will give you just a small flavoring of the love and dedication that the people of Christ UMC have for one another, and for everyone we encounter.
Sometimes this love and dedication shows through ministries and mission impacting and open to the community. Another time might be when we are out at Rowan Helping Ministries or you may see it in our Sunday morning worship service. A life of faith is not restricted to Sunday morning; following Jesus happens every moment of life. One pastor says faith is, “a long obedience in the same direction.”
Faith is not simply part of life’s journey; the journey encompasses every part of all of us. That includes our faith and our unbelief (which we all embody in different ways). We do not always find it an easy journey, but it can be a joy-filled one. This family of faith is a place where Jesus continues to teach us what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ – one day, and sometimes one moment, at a time. Christ United Methodist Church is a place people find when they are at the end of their rope or when they are looking for a place God can use their abilities. We have children playing here and youth working in their very first jobs. We have retired people here and those who have given a lifetime of effort to work. We have people who cannot find work and people with disabilities. All of us are an important part of this body of Christ.
Christ United Methodist Church started at its current location in 1989. But, Christ UMC has a rich history behind it – much older than many people know. Early on, the church was organized as Rowan Methodist Church in 1925. In 1939, a stone building was built for the church. That facility still houses a worshiping community on Cottage Street in Salisbury, one block from South Main Street. The early church was a ministry to Rowan Mills and the surrounding community (Parkdale Mills later purchased the Mill and later closed it in the 1990’s).
When the community learned that the mill was closing, this gave impetus for the church to consider a new location for ministry. It was then that the membership chose the name Christ United Methodist Church, and for awhile, a devout group from this church was a wandering community that met in the chapel of First UMC in downtown Salisbury. When the church purchased the property on Mooresville Road (Highway 150), the lone building was a barn. This one building was converted and used for worship, fellowship meals, and Sunday school classes. That original building was renovated in 2004, and a new kitchen extension was added. Today, it is our Youth Building.
In 1992, the church began construction of the current sanctuary building and additional classrooms. We formed a preschool in 1999, which served children through 2019, and we continue to care for children in our community through various outreach efforts.
In 2010, a new vision inspired the church leadership to build, not a bigger sanctuary building, but instead a beautiful Family Life Center with a near-regulation size basketball court, full and accessible kitchen, and more class and conference room space. We are now a modern, functioning sport and gathering facility for community groups.
Now, CUMC is blessed with a beautiful campus facility to meet the needs of various community groups who may use the building(s) once or for ongoing events.