1952-1970s
Community United Methodist Church was organized September 7, 1952, with 87 charter members meeting at the Kempsville Community House. The Rev. Douglas Newman, pastor of Oak Grove Methodist, was the founding pastor. In Oct. 1952, the congregation moved into Kempsville High School. The first worship service in the new sanctuary was on October 10, 1954. A parsonage was built next to the Church. There were 333 members. By 1955, with a membership over 400, the first addition (office and scout room) was built. A second addition was built during the pastorate of Rev. Roach (1955 - 1960) and we had our first acolytes and the Men's Fellowship began. Our third pastor, Rev. Moseley (1960 - 1962) saw to it that the property located on Alton Road was purchased. Community Methodist went to two Sunday morning worship services during the pastorate of Rev. Kibler when our membership rose to 1,148. After having four different Pastors serve Community during the eighteen months from January 1967 to June 1968, the Rev. Abe Moyer was appointed. We built our current parsonage. Rev. Rose came to our church in 1974 and his strong guidance brought stability back to Community. We paid our debt off in full and restarted the United Methodist Men.
1980s-2000s
The present sanctuary was completed in 1984 under the pastorate of Rev. Logan, and we went back to two Sunday morning worship services. In 1989, during the pastorate of Rev. Morgan, the two-story educational wing was built and membership reached 1,600 in 1981. Community continued to see growth throughout the 1990s. The early 2000s brought many new changes and challenges for Community. In 2001, we launched a contemporary worship service on Sunday mornings. During the same period, it became necessary to expand our facilities once again and the new office wing and social hall were dedicated in 2002.
2020s and Onward
The Christian story is one of resurrection and new life, and we have experienced God at work in so many ways among us. It is a new day at Community and worship attendance and number of persons engaging in ministry are growing. Even during the pandemic, our ministries in the community and fellowship in small groups have remained as active as ever. We have returned to two worship services on Sunday mornings - a 9:00 AM traditional service and an 11:00 AM modern service. Both services are livestreamed and can be viewed on our website or on social media. Our current pastors, Rev. Scott Rimer, Rev. Teresa Woodworth, and Rev. Jannette Clavez are leading us forward and onward! We are excited about the things God is doing among us and we welcome you to be a part of it too!