Ardmore United Methodist Church sits in the heart of the Ardmore neighborhood on South Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a few blocks from the historic brick storefronts of the district. The congregation has built its identity around an unusual rhythm: a full traditional service followed by a full contemporary service, with programming for nearly every age in between, plus a weekday preschool that has been reaching families for more than fifty years. Members describe the church's mission simply as connecting to God, one another, and the world, a phrase that shows up in everything from the welcome card to the senior adult ministry.
Two Services on a Sunday Morning
On most Sundays, Ardmore UMC offers two very different worship experiences under the same roof. At 10:00 a.m., the Sanctuary Choir, an organ, and a Handbell Choir lead music in the main sanctuary, while the congregation participates in responsive scripture readings and prayers. At 11:15 a.m., the focus shifts to the chapel, where an acoustic guitar, drums, and the Chapel Worship Band set a more casual tone. The two services share the same pulpit and the same lectionary, but the musical settings, lighting, and atmosphere are intentionally different so that worshipers can find the style that fits them best.
Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in both services, and the practice reflects an open table. Anyone, regardless of background, is welcome to participate. For those who cannot attend in person, a Home Communion Ministry brings the sacrament to shut-ins and others who cannot easily leave home, coordinated through Mary Jo Brewer, the Senior Adult Ministries Coordinator.
Kids in Both Services, from Infants to Fifth Grade
Children are not an afterthought at Ardmore. Kids and Family Worship meets during both Sunday services in Room 215 for children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with a format built around jumping, singing, dancing, learning, and laughter. During the warmer months, the gathering moves outdoors to the PRAYground, where everyone is welcome.
Younger children have their own space. The nursery is staffed during both services, with infants through 18 months in Room 121 and preschoolers aged 18 months through four years in Room 120. The goal, the church says, is for parents to know their child is safe and comfortable so the whole family can focus on worship.
The church operates as a Safe Sanctuaries congregation, with a written policy that protects children and vulnerable adults and requires every volunteer to be trained every two years through the Director of Christian Education.
A House of Music: Choir, Handbells, and the Chapel Band
Music is one of the threads that holds Ardmore's two services together. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. from September through May in the Choir Room and leads the 10:00 a.m. service. The Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in the Bell Room and contributes to the sanctuary service roughly once a month. The Chapel Worship Band rehearses at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings and leads the contemporary service.
For those who prefer to serve in a quieter way, the church lists additional worship roles: serving communion, reading scripture as a lay reader, ushering, greeting, leading prayers, or running the sound booth. The Directors of Traditional and Contemporary Music, Matthew Bacon and Jerry Chapman, lead the choirs and bands, and they both came to Ardmore after long careers in church music. Matthew previously served as Organ Scholar at Duke University Chapel, and Jerry spent three years as a youth minister at Central UMC in Mount Airy, North Carolina, before turning to worship leading.
Through the Week School: A Preschool on Church Grounds
The Ardmore United Methodist Through the Week School, known around the church as TTWS, is a half-day preschool that operates Monday through Friday, September through May, with an optional Lunch Bunch that extends the day until 1:00 p.m. The school is a separate ministry of the church, with three playgrounds, classrooms with natural light, and what the director Lauren Reed calls a passion for working with children in a well-established and well-loved setting.
TTWS has been reaching families for more than fifty years and continues to fill the church hallways with young voices during the week. A 5-day Readiness Class is offered for four- and five-year-olds who would benefit from an additional year before kindergarten, with field trips to local places like Reynolda Gardens and Kaleideum. A scholarship fund helps families in need pay tuition, and donations can be made in honor of a former student, a grandchild, or a beloved teacher, with that person's picture sometimes displayed in the hallway and on the church's Facebook page.
Children, Youth, and Scouting Ministries
Beyond Sunday mornings, Ardmore invests heavily in the next generation. The Connect Youth Group meets every Sunday afternoon from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Room 217, welcoming all sixth through twelfth graders. Each gathering includes a snack, games, practical teaching, and conversation in a space the church designed to feel like the best hangout in town.
For younger children and families, monthly Playground Parties take over the church's playground on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with games, music, prizes, and a sweet treat. The church also hosts active Girl Scout troops, organized through the Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Girl Scout Council and Service Unit 141, and Boy Scout Pack 749, which meets in the Scout Hut behind the church on Monday evenings during the school year. Girl Scouts have been part of Ardmore UMC for more than sixty years.
Jessica Dalton serves as the Director of Christian Education and oversees the children and youth ministries. She previously directed Christian education at Bunker Hill UMC in Kernersville and led the next generation ministry at New Story Church in Winston-Salem before joining Ardmore.
Sunday School and Adult Fellowship
Adults at Ardmore can dig deeper in two Sunday School classes that meet at 9:00 a.m. The Adventure Class gathers in Room 319 for discussion-based Bible study videos, while the Upper Fellowship meets in Room 204 in a lecture format using Adult Bible Studies materials with rotating teachers. Both classes welcome newcomers.
Outside of Sunday School, the church runs a stack of small groups and fellowship circles. United Women in Faith, formerly United Methodist Women, organizes circles that turn faith, hope, and love into action on behalf of women, children, and youth. The United Methodist Men gather for dinner meetings in the Fellowship Hall on the third Tuesday of every other month at 6:30 p.m. Young at Heart, a senior fellowship, meets for lunch and a program on the fourth Tuesday of each month from September through May. The Ardmore Stitchers meet every Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon in Room 301 to knit and crochet blankets, prayer shawls, and other gifts that are blessed and shared with people in the hospital, the church, and the community.
Our Father's Table: Food Pantry and Clothing Closet
For more than ten years, Ardmore has operated Our Father's Table, a food pantry and clothing closet that opens its doors on the first and third Thursday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Guests enter through the chapel and check in with a photo ID or, if they have one, a Food Bank card. On some nights a hot meal is served in addition to groceries and clothing. The program is coordinated by Eva Jane Felts for the food pantry and Teri Liles for the clothing closet, with a regular team of volunteers who sort donations, set up, serve, and clean up.
The pantry accepts non-perishable food and clothing donations during regular office hours, and the church makes it easy to volunteer: anyone interested can fill out a Volunteer Form, attend a brief orientation, and join the rotation. Donations to the food pantry can also be made online through Planning Center.
Stephen Ministry: One-to-One Care
For people going through a difficult season, Ardmore offers Stephen Ministry, a one-to-one Christian caregiving program in which trained laypeople from the congregation provide confidential emotional and spiritual support to anyone facing grief, loneliness, divorce, hospitalization, disability, job loss, or other life difficulties. The care is free and is available to members of the congregation and the wider community. Anyone interested in receiving care, or in referring a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative, can call the church office and ask to speak with a pastor or Stephen Leader.
A Lighthouse Congregation in the UMC
In May of 2023, the Ardmore Church Council unanimously voted to become a Lighthouse Congregation within the United Methodist Church. Lighthouse Congregations are churches that commit to remain in the UMC and to be a welcoming home for United Methodists whose own churches have chosen to disaffiliate. The designation, organized through the Western North Carolina Conference, has made Ardmore a referral point for people in the region who want to keep their United Methodist identity.
The congregation sits in the Yadkin Valley District of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the church describes itself as part of a worldwide connection that opens hearts, opens minds, and opens doors through active engagement with the world.
Service Beyond the Building
Ardmore takes seriously the Methodist call to serve beyond the walls. The church contributes financially to a long list of partners, including The Bethesda Center, Brunson Elementary School, City with Dwellings, Crisis Control Ministry, Crossnore Communities for Children, Family Services of Forsyth County, Forsyth Prison Ministry, Meals on Wheels, Open Arms Ministry, Samaritan Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, The Shalom Project, UMAR, UMCOR, the Wesley Foundation at Wake Forest, the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission, and Waughtown Recovery Mission.
Members also give their time to the American Red Cross, Bethlehem Community Center, Open Arms Ministry, Samaritan Ministries, The Shalom Project, and St. Timothy's Overnight Shelter. In addition, the church runs an Early Response Team that helps repair and rebuild after severe weather in North Carolina and beyond, a Cherry Street Prison Ministry that worships with residents at a local prison, and a senior adult visitation ministry that makes phone calls and sends cards to older members of the congregation.
Beliefs and Methodist Identity
Ardmore UMC describes itself as a church for everyone, with an open Statement of Inclusivity that welcomes anyone regardless of background, identity, or stage of journey. The church affirms the United Methodist mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, and its own mission follows that language: to connect to God, one another, and the world. Worship is offered in the historic Methodist connectional tradition, with lay servant-leaders sharing in the leadership of the church through a Church Council that meets regularly and is open to any member to observe.
The congregation practices an open communion table, an open membership process through the digital Welcome Card, and a lay-led structure of small groups, Sunday School classes, and mission circles that makes space for people to plug in at their own pace.
Staff and Leadership
Rev. Kelly P. Carpenter serves as Lead Pastor. He came to Ardmore on January 1, 2024, and grew up in Methodist parsonages in Indiana as a preacher's kid. He is supported by Matthew Bacon, Director of Traditional Music, who joined the staff after serving as Organ Scholar at Duke University Chapel; Jerry Chapman, Director of Contemporary Music, who leads the Chapel Worship Band; Jessica Dalton, Director of Christian Education, who oversees children, youth, and Safe Sanctuaries; Lauren Reed, Director of the Through the Week School; and Mary Jo Brewer, Coordinator of Senior Adult Ministries, who began her tenure at the preschool before moving into her current role.
Giving, Joining, and Getting Involved
Ardmore UMC is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. The church uses Planning Center for online giving, with options for one-time gifts or recurring contributions. Gifts can also be made by mail, by check or cash during Sunday services, through the church office drop box, through bank bill pay, by stock or will, or through a charitable IRA. Two dedicated funds are listed separately: a Capital Improvements fund aimed at paying off the building, and a Youth Retreats and Activities fund that supports mission trips and youth programming.
Anyone interested in joining the church can fill out a digital Welcome Card or speak with the pastor after a service. The card lets visitors indicate which service they attended, leave contact information, and share a prayer request. To get involved in a ministry, the church suggests attending worship, then reaching out to a ministry leader or to the church office. The food pantry, clothing closet, music ministries, scouting, and Stephen Ministry all have dedicated contact people listed in the staff directory.
Worship is livestreamed on YouTube, and a sermon archive keeps recent messages available to watch on demand. For a first-time visitor, the church is located at 630 South Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem, with a large parking lot next to the building, two services to choose from on Sunday morning, and a clear path to a children's program, a Sunday School class, or a meal at Our Father's Table during the week.