Manchester United Methodist - Manchester, Missouri
Posted by: BruceS
N 38° 35.685 W 090° 30.580
15S E 716882 N 4274748
Originally called Manchester Methodist Episcopal Church, this church building dates to 1856.
Waymark Code: WM4YM6
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/14/2008
Views: 9
The Manchester Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1826 when John Ball, for whom the city of Ballwin is named, provided the first permanent place of worship for area Methodists. He purchased James Neal's old wool carding machine house in Manchester, added seats and a balcony, and donated it to the Methodists. This historic church building was built in 1856, replacing an earlier building which was built in 1837. The church was constructed of brick at a cost of $6,389. It had one large room on the main floor and was heated by a pot-belly stove. Original plans show two entry doors, one for women and one for men, however early photographs show only one. In the early 1900's the church struggled to remain open. However with the expansion of the west St. Louis County area in the 1950's the church had tremendous membership growth. The church was renovated in 1959, to help accommodate the growing church membership. In 1965 an education wing was added to the rear of the Chapel. In 1969 the church outgrown the Chapel and moved to a new Sanctuary to rear of the Chapel. In 1993 the Chapel was again renovated, restoring its appearance to a more original look. The church membership has continued to grow and now occupies a new Sanctuary completed in 1998. The congregation now exceeds 3000 members and is the largest Methodist congregation in Missouri.
Active church?: Yes
Year Built: 1856
Service times: Saturday: 5 p.m. Service in held in the old chapel
Sunday: 8:00, 10:30 am services held in new sanctuary
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:At least one photo. You're welcome to be in the picture, but please, No GPSr.