Rural Churches Help Sustain Community Life

James B. Duke's family had strong ties to the Methodist church. His father, Washington Duke, attended a Methodist Sunday school near his North Carolina home and he joined the church as a young boy during a revival service. He attended Trinity Methodist near Durham with his sons.

At Center United Methodist Church, a new environmentally friendly Christian Fellowship Center is evidence of the congregation's faith-based commitment to caring for the Earth and protecting its resources.

Washington Duke's brother, William, was a lay preacher in North Carolina who set aside space near his home for outdoor services. Later, he built a log church that became known as Duke's Chapel.

In isolated communities, the church was often at the center of rural life. "Dinners-on-the-ground and weeklong revival meetings were important events that helped relieve the monotony of a hardscrabble existence," writes historian Robert Durden in "Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas."

James B. Duke grew up knowing the significance that churches held in communities. "My old daddy always said that if he amounted to anything in life it was due to the Methodist circuit riders who frequently visited his home and whose preaching and counsel brought out the best that was in him," he once said. "If I amount to anything in this world I owe it to my daddy and the Methodist church."

His 1924 Indenture of Trust includes support for the building and maintenance of United Methodist churches in rural North Carolina — "where the people are not able to do this properly for themselves."

Challenge

Church Central to Rural Life

In North Carolina, nearly 3 million people live in rural areas.

The church still plays a pivotal role in those regions. Church buildings can be a home for important programs; clergy can mobilize community volunteers from the pews.

"Things like after-school programs and elder care are real needs in these communities," said one United Methodist leader. "Churches can and should see themselves as mission stations regardless of size."

But without an adequate facility, congregations and outreach can falter.

Response

To strengthen churches and their role in rural North Carolina, The Duke Endowment has helped congregations build hundreds of sanctuaries, fellowship halls and education facilities.

New grants have included:

• $120,000 to build a fellowship hall at Concord United Methodist Church in Catawba
• $140,000 to build a family life center at Oak Forest United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem
• $24,000 to renovate classrooms and the sanctuary at Stonewall United Methodist Church in Stonewall
• $120,000 to renovate the education building at Palm Tree United Methodist Church in Vale.

While congregations gather in sanctuaries to worship, fellowship halls serve as a home for community events and food pantries. Education buildings might offer space for English language programs or child care.

Building Churches Sustainably

Recent grants from the Endowment also have included several sustainable building projects, allowing energy, water and materials to be used efficiently. The focus began in the 1980s, when the Endowment supported a weatherization project that involved the two North Carolina Conferences of the United Methodist Church. An audit helped churches become more energy efficient; the Endowment provided grants for buying storm windows or adding insulation.

In 2005, with the urging of students and faculty at Duke Divinity School, the Endowment sponsored a conference on environmentally friendly structures. The conference — called "Holy and Beautiful" — attracted architects, clergy, lay members of church building committees and liturgical designers who wanted to help congregations connect their faith with caring for the environment. As one Duke Divinity School professor told participants: "Through stone, brick, wood, glass, and space, religious architecture articulates a holy knowledge of the world that is, properly speaking, ecological."

At the gathering, eligible rural United Methodist churches in North Carolina were told that the Endowment would help with any additional costs for building in a sustainable fashion.

The Endowment commissioned two architects to write Guidelines for Environmentally Friendly Structures - A Checklist for Rural Churches & Related Buildings (June 2006) (pdf), a guide book for churches that want to "build green."

The 2007 conference, in Charlotte, N.C., focused on "Modern Church Architecture: The Artistry and Greening of Our Churches."

In 2008, four churches received a total of $154,607 in grants from the Endowment to support their green building efforts.

Participating Sites in North Carolina

• North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church, Raleigh
• Western North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church, Charlotte

Contact Us

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Director of Rural Church
704.927.2251