The Emmett
U
nited Methodist Church has been serving the Emmett Valley
since 1881. From 1906 to 1983 the church was located at the corner of 1st Street
and Washington Ave where the True Value Hardware store now stands. In 1983
that building was condemned and razed. The church moved to "temporary" quarters
in the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Highway 52. They held services in
that church until the end of 1984. In that year, they purchased the
Friend's Meeting House on Longview Drive. At the same time, they
negotiated the purchase of the five acre parcel on Locust Ave, on which
the current church now stands. The new building was occupied in 2001,
but was not entirely completed until the sanctuary carpet was installed
in 2007.
The
building includes a spacious sanctuary, large community room with
kitchen, pastor's office, library, and three classrooms. The east end of the building,
the sanctuary, features the Good Shepherd stained glass window which was
salvaged from the original church building and painstakingly restored.
The window had been c
ommissioned in the early 1900's by the Ladies Union
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The
Cross and Flame which adorns the front of the sanctuary, as well as the
pews, were also
salvaged form the old church.
A unique feature
of our church, made possible by our large parcel of land, is the
community garden and the home of the Emmett Food Bank. In 2005, the
Emmett Food Bank lost its lease on a storefront in downtown Emmett. The
trustees of the Methodist Church offered to build the Food Bank a new
distribution building on the church property. At the same time, the
decision was made to develop a community garden in the area behind the
church. The garden has been a huge success. Not only are church members
encouraged to harvest its vegetables, but most of the produce goes
directly into the Food Bank. We've had bumper crops of corn, beans,
squash. zucchini, melons, eggplant and onions, all carefully tended to
by a group of enthusiastic volunteers.
