- April 26, 2024
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The sanctuary was nearly filled to capacity at the Palm Coast United Methodist Church's first service at their new facility. Courtesy photo
The first service at the Palm Coast United Methodist Church's new campus was held on March 3. Courtesy photo
Jim Gary, Rev. Teresa Waters, Larry Torino, Beverly Patrick, Rev. Durwood Foshee, Pastor Kevin James and Linda James hold on to the ribbon at the congregational grand opening celebration as Isabella Callaway makes the official cut. Courtesy photo
A year and a half after beginning construction, Palm Coast United Methodist Church held its first Sunday worship service on March 3 at its new campus at 6500 Belle Terre Parkway, coinciding with a congregational grand opening celebration.
The church is planning a community grand opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 13, with a ribbon cutting, games, prizes and special guests including city and county officials and local clergy.
“We’re going to make it a grand affair,” said Dan Maxwell, chair of the church’s new campus committee.
Lead Pastor Kevin James said they didn’t want to hold the community celebration right away because you need “to learn where the light switches are before you invite guests to visit your house.”
Rev. James said the turnout for the congregational celebration was beyond expectations.
“We planned for 350 people, and we had an estimated 550 to 600 people attend. It was a wonderful, worshipful atmosphere,” he said.
The celebration included performances by the church’s handbell choir, a Bethune-Cookman University ensemble, the Voices of Faith choir and the Praise Band.
At just over 25,000 square feet, the new facility is not much bigger than the old church, about 4 miles to the south at 5200 Belle Terre Parkway, but the design is modern and multifunctional, said Jim Gary, chair of the church’s board of trustees.
The new campus committee worked with Building God’s Way architectural services, Maxwell said.
The sanctuary has portable seating and can be used as a banquet hall. The sanctuary, main lobby and other rooms can be rented out. The church school, which is expected to be ready in a few weeks, has six classrooms.
“It’s much more functional (than the school at the old church),” Gary said, “because the classrooms are all together. Each classroom has its own bathroom.”
The Palm Coast United Methodist Church was founded in 1979 in a former YMCA. The church was chartered on Dec. 19, 1980 and groundbreaking at 5200 Belle Terre Parkway was held a month later with the first service held in the building on June 20, 1982.
The new church “is a different type of cosmetic gathering space,” Rev. James said. “We wanted to build today’s church for the future.”
