Faith UMC
133 Main Street
Woodbury, PA 16695
814-766-3742
Worship - 10:30 am
S.S. - 9:15 am
Turning the pages of history, we find that Methodism came to the Cove region in the 1800’s. Early settlers were largely of German or Swiss origin, and of Baptist, Lutheran and Reformed faiths. Methodism faced some opposition. Geographical conditions controlled the regular attendance, leaving "the unchurched" under the influence of "the fire and brimstone sermons" of preachers in camp meetings and revivals in schoolhouses and nearby homes. To attend a service was of great importance, whatever the denomination.
The first Methodist church built in northern Bedford County was in Woodbury in 1846. The small pebble-cast structure was used until 1882, when a new brick building was erected on the present location, the Galen Whetstone property, at a cost of $4,000. Rev. Joseph Lee was pastor of the 50 member congregation, a part of the four-church charge that included Bedford Forge, Loysburg and Martinsburg.
During the summer of 1899, a building committee made up of F.B. Berkheimer, C.W. Bulger, F.B. Hetrick, J.P. Allen and Frank Hoover met with Pastor J.K. Lloyd and awarded contracts for renovating the present edifice. Using the $2,000 gift of Miss May Wilkinson, placed in memory of her grandfather, Rev. John H. Wilkinson, as a start, the remodeling program began.
David Cramer, George Karns, John Croft, Dan Byers and T.M. Myers were the craftsmen in charge of the renovations that included the addition of a pulpit recess on the north side of the building, a vestibule and church steeple. The sum of $325 was paid for new pews re-arranged in the sanctuary in an east-west direction. An altar railing was purchased for $25 and a bid of $450 covered all masonry work. All wood work including ceiling, door trim and wainscoting cost $250. The lectern, still in use, was moved from the first church and placed in the new pulpit recess. Because of the generous gift of Miss Wilkinson, the church was named the Wilkinson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church at re-dedication services on Sunday. Oct. 1, 1899.
On Sept.26, 1899, the building committee met for final settlement of outstanding bills and, at the same time, agreed by unanimous vote to "have nothing but religious meetings in the church." With everything else paid but a small balance that the church collections failed to cover, Miss Wilkinson again came to the rescue.
Several years later new chairs were placed in the Sunday School rooms and hitching posts placed at the rear of the church. The Ladies' Aid, now known as the United Methodist Women, played important roles in the upkeep of the parson-age and utilities, installation of carpet in the church, and aiding with funds in the church treasury.
Over the years improvements to church property included a new heating system, pulpit furniture, new organ, inside toilets, a parking lot in the rear and the largest in 1962, excavation of the basement for Sunday School rooms and kitchen facilities.
In 1991 the Woodbury and Martinsburg churches merged and became a three-point charge with a new name, Faith United Methodist Church of Woodbury. In 1994, plans started for a new fellowship hall to be added to the church, and it was completed in 1997. The cost of the building was $ 128,000, and the $55,000 that was borrowed was paid in full in October of 2002.