Newberne United Methodist Church

My grandparents lived right down the road where my dad and his brothers were born in there. Home and raised. This is the church we attended and continue to whenever I go out to visit. Beside it is “Stella’s” store my cousins and I would walk there every day to get a push-up, soda, and a paper bag of 5 cent candy. I spent many days sitting on the front porch eating my orange push-up and goofing around with the rest of my Kemper cousins. There were 10 of us in all.
Grandma and Grandpa have passed, so has Stella and the store is now just a run down storage building. However, my dad, his remaining brothers, and some of my cousins have returned to the old homestead and are living there now.
We still go to church there. I go when I’m out visiting and I always make some time for sitting on the porch of the store, still able to swing my legs and fondly remember my days as a child. It’s still a peaceful little walk down the road from my Uncle Joe’s, Uncle David’s, my cousin Steve’s, and my Dad & brother’s place, that used to be my Great-grandfathers, then my great-Aunt Eva’s.
The Newberne United Methodists Church is where at times there would be an additional 30 people in attendance when everyone came to grandmas house. Where family members were married and many meals were shared. For a small country church it always feels so welcoming and brings memories of my childhood when the church was always full. God was important and the church was a place for worship as well as a way to keep in touch with all the families who lived up all the surrounding hollows and down all the back roads. Sadly the attendance is dwindling the people are getting older and there aren’t many new families with young children moving in. I would hate to see that church have to close it’s doors like so many others. My uncle is currently the leader until the preacher gets there. My other uncle is a retired missionary, and my cousin who also will be living there very soon went to school for mission work, but was then unfortunately paralyzed.
Regardless, there are plenty of educators who have the ability to teach the congregation although it may be small. This church is an important part of the community and a place that many people call home when they come to visit family. I’m sure I’m not the only one. It’s such a place filled with memories, peace, placed so beautifully in the little community of Newberne WV.