OUR LEGACY FROM THE PAST - NCCUMC

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activities, a growth in membership due to concerted efforts to
visit new families in the community, and Bible study on Sunday
night and Tuesday morning, conducted by Mrs. Cook. His willingness
to visit the sick and infirm has been greatly appreciated
and has been a source of comfort for so many in the church.
Reverend Cook is constantly aware of all opportunities that are
available to himself and the members of his congregation for
learning more about the Lord and how we can learn to better
serve Him. Because of his seeing the need for a church van to take
the members to various functions, and his willingness to drive
them there, many programs in our church have prospered that
would not have otherwise done so. Since Reverend Cook is the
minister at the time of the writing of this history, it is with saddened
hearts we will face his eventual departure.
The Methodist Church in Williamston has played an important
part in the history of the town. Its leaders have been some of
the leading citizens of the town and some of the most influential
people of the county. Since it has endured for these many years,
its founders must have rooted it firmly in the Lord and built it with
these words in mind: "Except the Lord build the house, they
labour in vain that build it," Psalm 127:1, for it has surely
prospered through these many years and is continuing to grow
every day that passes. It is hoped that the First United Methodist
Church will still be here in the years to come, ministering to the
needs of those who find refuge within its walls.
Let us remember those people who went before us, who loved
this church and who sacrificed to make it what it is today. They
were called into Christian service by Christ just as we are today.
None of us knows how long we will be here to serve Him, but we do
know we have been given a charge to keep. Right now, we have
the privilege of being a part of the First United Methodist Church
in Williamston and of saying by word and life, "This is my
church!"
It seems fitting to close this history with these words spoken
by Dr. O. P. Fitzgerald, pastor of this church in 1928,on the occasion
of the Centennial Anniversary of Methodism in Williamston: