Cumberland United Methodist Church
Downtown's oldest church rebuilds
Florence Morning News - November 10, 2007
By Dwight Dana
FLORENCE — Members of Cumberland United Methodist Church on South Coit Street have been without a sanctuary for four years, but are hoping to be in their new one by Easter Sunday 2008.
“They are about ready to put the shingles on and start work on the inside,” said Dr. Joseph Heyward, a longtime member of Cumberland who is coordinating the construction. “They’re also getting footings ready for the floors. Our hope is to be able to have Easter services there next year. That’s what we’re shooting for.”
Members have been meeting at Cumberland’s outreach center on Kemp Street since November 2003. They planned to go into their renovation phase at that time, including a small addition on the back of the church.
“That’s when we started running into problems with termites in the flooring, walls and roof,” Heyward said in a 2003 interview. “We thought we were going to be able to shore the roof, but damage to the trusses was too great. Because of that and the type of mortar they used years ago, those bricks weren’t going to hold either.”
The church, the oldest in downtown Florence, was demolished. It is being rebuilt with the same facade.
The Tiffany-glass windows are being refurbished, as are the pews and organ.
“We’ve had our trials and tribulations, just like anyone else,” Heyward said, “but we also see a bright future. Sometimes you have to go through the wilderness before you get to the promised land.”
The new sanctuary is a little larger than the old one and will have a narthex, or a a vestibule leading to the nave of a church, up front. Forty feet have been added to the back.
The Rev. J. Jeannette Cooper Dicks is pastor of Cumberland. A former English teacher, she is Cumberland’s first female pastor since its inception as the Gate City Mission in April 1865.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to our pastor and to our membership,” Heyward said. “We have all stuck together during these four years.”
Heyward is a lifelong member of Cumberland. He retired from Francis Marion University in 2003 as vice president of student affairs. He has a doctorate in student personnel administration.
Meanwhile, Cooper Dicks’ ministry remains the same. It is threefold: Making disciples and caring on the inside and on the outside.