Vienna’s Wayside United Methodist Church celebrates 100 years
The Wayside United Methodist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday.
VENNA, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Wayside United Methodist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday.
To recognize the anniversary, the church held a special service that included an address from Vienna mayor Randy Rapp.
A display of photographs and records from the church’s long history showed the many memories that have been created since the church first opened its doors in 1923.
Jean Flinn has been a member the church for 65 years, making her its longest-attending member. She said reaching the 100 year milestone means a great deal. “Oh, i’s great, it’s great,” Flinn said. “And to look back on everything that’s happened during those years, and know the history of it -- it’s great. I was 25 when I came to this church, and my daughter was two years old.”
Flinn shared some memories of her many years with the church.
“My husband Dale, he came in a couple years after I did,” she said. “And he and our two children were baptized here in this church by Reverend Atkinson. So that was a real thrill for me to have them.”
Dar Phillips has been the church secretary for ten years. She said the 100 year mark means a lot to her, too. “For any church to make it 100 years in a community is remarkable,” Phillips said. “For Wayside to be such a force in the community, to do that mission and the food pantry and those kinds of things, it’s very special to be part of something so great.”
Phillips highlighted the food pantry as a major accomplishment of the church over its many years of community involvement. “The food pantry, the Good Samaritan Center, has been open hear for several years,” Phillips said. “It was started by our women’s group. And now it us run by 13 different area churches, so it is a community mission. We serve the people of Vienna and parts of Wood County.”
Phillips said she hopes to see those good works continue for years to come. “I would love to see Wayside continue to be a force in the community, and a good force, showing others the love of Jesus, going out and helping people that need help,” Phillips said.
After the 100th anniversary service, the congregation posed for a group photograph to commemorate the occasion.
Copyright 2023 WTAP. All rights reserved.
