A Welcoming Congregation on South Main Street
Davidson United Methodist Church sits one mile from Interstate 77 in the heart of downtown Davidson, North Carolina, occupying the corner of South Main Street where a Methodist congregation has been gathering since 1906. Across more than a century the church has grown from a small local fellowship into one of the largest ministry presences in the Lake Norman area, with four Sunday worship services, an accredited weekday preschool, a roster of more than two dozen mission partners, and an extension counseling center that serves residents across the region.
The congregation's stated welcome is unusually explicit. From its founding the church has welcomed people regardless of gender, race, class, age, ability, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation, and everyone is invited to the communion table. Several of the adult Sunday school classes are designated Reconciling Communities within the Reconciling Ministries Network, and the church maintains an LGBTQIA Friends and Family support group that meets monthly.
Four Sunday Mornings, Four Different Shapes
Sunday is the heartbeat of the week, and Davidson UMC offers four distinct worship services that allow newcomers to choose a style that fits. The earliest service, at 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel, follows the traditional United Methodist liturgy and includes communion every Sunday. The two Sanctuary services, at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., follow the same formal liturgy but add choral and instrumental music from the church's choirs and organ; communion is served at both services on the first Sunday of the month.
The fourth service, the 11:11 Modern Worship in The Upper Room, is the congregation's contemporary offering. Held in a more relaxed setting with a separate worship band, it draws both longtime members looking for a different feel and younger adults from the surrounding community. All four services are livestreamed, and recordings of recent sermons are available on the church's YouTube channel.
Sunday School runs alongside the 9:30 service for every age group. Children's classes meet in the Alexander Education Building at 9:30, with check-in stations in the Gathering Space and on the ground floor of the education wing. Middle and high school youth gather in the Youth Center in the Seymour building from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and more than a dozen adult classes meet throughout the campus.
Newcomers can find a Welcome Center just outside the Sanctuary where greeters answer questions before and after worship. Visitor, senior, and accessible parking spaces are available in the main lot off Main Street, and those who need an elevator should enter through the Church Office entrance, where the elevator is located straight ahead and opens directly in front of a Sanctuary entrance.
A complimentary shuttle bus brings residents of The Pines retirement community to the 9:30 service and Sunday School; riders meet in the lobby by 9:00 a.m. and a step stool is provided. The church's hearing assistance devices are available at every service through the ushers.
Children: Three Truths at the Heart of the Program
Children's Ministry at Davidson UMC is built around three truths that adults try to teach every child: that God loves them, that their church family loves them, and that God has done and continues to do amazing things they can apply to their everyday life.
Sunday morning classes run at 9:30 for every age from preschool through fifth grade. Preschoolers meet in Room 116, kindergartners and first graders in Room 118, second and third graders in Room 210, and fourth and fifth graders in Room 208. A staffed nursery for infants and toddlers is open during the 9:30 and 11:00 services, with two background-checked adults in every room, all of them trained in the church's Safe Sanctuary Policy and certified in CPR and First Aid. Children are always welcome in worship, and the nursery and Sunday school rooms are designed so parents can drop off their children before the service or after the children's moment.
Director of Children's Ministries Mary Laurens Minich oversees the program, and the church publishes a weekly NexGen email for families who want updates on midweek programs, retreats, special events, and service opportunities. Vacation Bible School, family movie nights, the church Pumpkin Patch, and the Story Time at DUMC series round out the year's offerings.
Youth Ministry: Belong, Grow, Impact
Middle and high school students (grades 6-12) make up the heart of Davidson UMC's Youth Ministry, which articulates its purpose through three words: Belong, Grow, Impact. The aim is for every young person to know they have a place in the community, to encounter Christ and grow in faith through caring adult mentors, and ultimately to become a disciple who makes disciples.
Sunday mornings bring two small groups, middle school and high school, that meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Youth Center of the Seymour building, where a snack breakfast is provided. Sunday nights add the larger Youth Group from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Youth Multipurpose Room, an hour and a half of high-energy worship, interactive games, mentoring, small-group discussion, and teaching built around the everyday challenges students face.
Confirmation is open to students in grades 8-12 and runs as a focused formation year of teaching, Scripture reading, storytelling, and questions about faith. At the end of the program students are confirmed as members of the church; parents are encouraged to become members themselves if they are not already. A fall Confirmation interest meeting kicks off the cycle each year, and the program includes retreats and small-group time with adult mentors.
Youth also serve: an annual summer mission trip through TEAMeffort has carried DUMC students into Western North Carolina to help with ongoing hurricane recovery, and the Pumpkin Patch fundraiser each October supports a Youth Impact Fund that provides scholarships for youth trips and events, youth-led mission opportunities, and the summer mission trip.
College and Young Adults
College ministry sits under the same pastoral umbrella as youth. Rev. Meredith Hinton, the Next Generation Ministry Architect and Pastor of Youth, walks with college students as they navigate questions about vocation, identity, and faith. The college ministry is anchored by Sunday morning small groups and a steady rhythm of discipleship conversations, with students invited into the same mission trip culture that shapes the youth program.
Adult Small Groups and Spiritual Growth
Adult faith formation at Davidson UMC is rooted in small groups. The Adults ministry describes its conviction simply: faith grows best in community, whether people are diving into Scripture, exploring spiritual practices, or simply sharing life with others.
Sunday morning classes at 9:30 a.m. include the Adult Bible Study for couples and singles over 55, which works through the Efird Bible Study Series and Adam Hamilton video studies; the Bill Hight Class, which uses the International Bible Study series; Faith in Action, a group of mostly parents of young adults and teens that rotates facilitation among class members and weaves in service projects; the Life Application Class for adults generally 45 and older; the Navigators, a free-thinking discussion group that meets via Zoom at 9:00 a.m.; and Logos, a discussion-driven class that meets in Room 209 on first and third Sundays and online the rest of the month. Several of these classes, including Life Application, Navigators, Logos, and Shalom, are formally identified as Reconciling Communities.
Midweek studies offer more depth. Brothers in Christ gathers men on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in Rooms 212/214 of the Alexander Education Building. Companions in Christ brings intergenerational women together on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. for study and friendship. Seekers of the Spirit meets via Zoom on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon for women of all ages. Sisters, a women's Bible study, meets Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Purcell Room. The Shalom class, focused on social justice, interfaith dialogue, and emerging perspectives in Christian faith, gathers on the third Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 220.
Spiritual practice is also woven into the rhythm of the week. The Intercessory Prayer Group prays regularly for others, and the Prayer Shawl Ministry gathers on the first Wednesday of each month from September through June at 10:15 a.m. in Room 213. Knitters and crocheters of every skill level are welcome; each meeting includes a short devotion and a time to bless completed shawls and baptism blankets, which are given to those in need and to babies at their baptism.
Senior Adults: A Caring Community of Their Own
The Senior Adults ministry exists to nurture the spiritual lives of older adults through worship, connection, and compassionate care. Senior adults are woven into every Sunday morning class, and the Primetimers fellowship group, for adults 55 and older, gathers for meals, entertainment, and special events throughout the year.
A Senior Visitation Team makes regular visits to church members who cannot attend in person, and the Legacy Project preserves the church's story by pairing trained interviewers with members who want their faith journey recorded. Two copies are made of each interview: one for the member and one for the church library.
The shuttle from The Pines, the accessible parking, and the hearing assistance devices are all part of how the congregation supports senior adults in continuing to participate in the life of the church.
Care, Counseling, and Support Groups
Care ministries at Davidson UMC include a wide network of lay and pastoral support. Davidson Care Ministers (DCMs) are trained laypersons who offer one-on-one ministry care for those experiencing grief, illness, or other difficulties; visit members in hospitals, homes, and facilities; and serve Holy Communion to those who are homebound. The pastoral care team, led by Rev. Jim Humphries, walks alongside members through loss, terminal illness, and questions of faith, and welcomes calls from anyone needing to talk with a pastor.
The church hosts a remarkable number of recovery and support groups on its campus. Divorce Support, led by Certified Divorce Coach Ansle Hudson, meets on the second Wednesday evening of each month at 6:30 p.m. A Dementia Caregivers Support Group meets on the fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Room 212. A Grief Care Support Group runs weekly from October through January. The LGBTQIA Friends and Family Group gathers on the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. The Davidson Career Transition Program, a joint ministry with Davidson College Presbyterian Church, offers monthly workshops on the first Wednesday (except July) in Rooms 216/218. Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon meet in the Congregational Care House on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. A Lake Norman MS Support Group meets on the third Friday of each month at 11:00 a.m. in Rooms 212/214, and a Prostate Cancer Support Group for men meets on the second Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. in Room 220.
Sanctuary Counseling Group, an extension ministry of the church and an accredited service center of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the Samaritan Institute, provides professional therapy on campus. Zackary Schlegel, M.S., LCMHCA, serves as the church's therapist and accepts referrals from the pastoral team. The church also maintains a list of local mental health resources, including the Davidson Lifeline, Mobile Crisis Teams by county, Atrium and Novant behavioral health programs, Daymark Recovery Services, and Mental Health America of Central Carolinas.
Music and Worship Arts
Music is a defining feature of Davidson UMC's worship life. Dr. Phil Wilhelm serves as Director of Music & Worship, leading the choirs that sing at the 9:30 and 11:00 Sanctuary services. John Settlemyer is the church's organist, and Jeff Sweet leads the band that drives the 11:11 Modern Worship in The Upper Room. Children's choirs provide another entry point into the music program, and the church's bell choirs and seasonal performances have become a tradition for many families.
The music program is intentionally intergenerational, drawing on the talents of high school students, college-age musicians, adult volunteers, and longtime choir members. Special services throughout the church year - Christmas Eve, Holy Week, Thanksgiving - carry the full weight of the music ministry.
Missions: Twenty-Five Partners and Counting
Missions is built into the identity of Davidson UMC. The congregation's vision statement commits the church to sustainable and transformational missions so that all God's children can live life to the fullest, balanced between short-term relief and long-term sustainable transformation. The core values of the ministry are empowerment, sustainability, justice and compassion, relationship, and helping without hurting.
The mission team divides its work between Internal Mission Partners (ministries led by DUMC members) and External Mission Partners (local, regional, and global organizations). Internal partners include:
- Blood Drives, hosted six times a year and running for more than three decades, coordinated by Liz Powell
- Community Food Rescue, whose 55 volunteers collect roughly 2,000 pounds of food a week from grocery stores and deliver it to FeedNC, The Christian Mission in Mooresville, and Nourish Up
- Creation Care Ministry, working with the Western North Carolina Conference Creation Care Ministry on education and stewardship
- Davidson Community Garden, in operation since 2010 and funded almost entirely by the DUMC missions budget, with most of its harvest donated to the Nourish Up Food Pantry at the Ada Jenkins Center
- Disaster Response Team, working through WNCC Disaster Ministries to support neighbors affected by natural disasters
- East Huntersville Community Outreach, transforming lives in the Pottstown and Deer Hill neighborhoods through groceries, senior visits, books, and critical home repair
- Harvest Procession, providing Thanksgiving meal ingredients to 300 neighbors each year
- Joy Store, a Christmas gift program for parents with limited means
- Kairos Prison Ministry, bringing weekends of prayer and support to the incarcerated at Foothills Correctional Institute in Morganton
- Men's Shelter Meal at Roof Above, providing dinner on the second Sunday of each month to the Uptown Men's Shelter in Charlotte
- Missions Mall, held each November in the Fellowship Hall to support mission partners through meaningful purchases
- Mission Possible Camp at Brookstone Schools, a summer program of spiritual formation and outreach with middle school students in Uptown Charlotte
- Prison Fellowship Ministries Angel Tree, providing Christmas gifts to children on behalf of an incarcerated parent
- Quilt Ministry, making and donating hundreds of quilts each year to children in hospitals and foster care, seniors in nursing homes, and families in disaster response
- Room In the Inn, hosting women and children experiencing homelessness at the Dale House on DUMC's campus through Roof Above during the coldest months of the year
- Winter Coat Drive, collecting coats in November for Room In the Inn guests, Crisis Assistance Ministry, and The Christian Mission in Mooresville
External mission partners extend the reach of the church well beyond its campus. Ada Jenkins Center provides financial assistance and case management for those experiencing homelessness, and DUMC provides snacks to its LEARN Works afterschool program one to two days each week. All In Guatemala, founded by DUMC members, runs medical, dental, education, and community development programs in the Highlands of Guatemala, with an annual mission trip each March. Angels & Sparrows, Bags of Hope, Bridge of Hearts, Cook Community Clinic, Davidson-Cornelius Child Development Center, FeedNC, Fifth Street Ministries' My Sister's House, Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, Hope House Foundation, La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool, Lake Norman YMCA, Monarch/Barnabas House, Neighborhood Care Center, Smithville Community Coalition, The Christian Mission in Mooresville, and Zoe Empowers in Kenya round out a list that includes a 17-year partnership with Zoe Empowers and a long-standing support relationship with the Lake Norman YMCA's summer camp.
The Weekday Preschool
Operating out of the lower level of the church, Davidson UMC Preschool is an outreach ministry that has served families in the Lake Norman area for more than two decades. The preschool is play-based and faith-based, guided by the conviction that every child is a unique gift of God, worthy of love, respect, and encouragement.
The school day is half-day with lunch included. The 2026-27 school year runs from September 8, 2026 through May 27, 2027, generally following the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools calendar. Two teachers are in every classroom, every staff member is background-checked and Safe Sanctuary trained, and the building carries a full safety program that includes CPR, AED, and First Aid certification, fire evacuation and emergency procedure plans, and a building security system.
All classes participate in monthly chapel with Bible stories, songs, prayer, and movement, as well as monthly music and library enrichments. Three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and transitional kindergarten classes add Stretch-N-Grow, science enrichment, and field trips to the Davidson Library, the Pumpkin Patch, the Davidson Fire Department, and local Davidson businesses. An annual spring Art Show invites families to see and purchase their children's artwork, with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund.
Preschool Director Jessica Cross leads a teaching team of roughly twenty educators whose experience ranges from first-year teachers to veterans like Margo Nolen, who has taught at DUMCP for over twenty years, and Andrea Hausler, who has taught at the preschool since 2007. The preschool office can be reached at (704) 896-0082 or dumcpsaa@davidsonumc.org.
United Women in Faith
The United Women in Faith (UWF) circle gathers women of the church for service projects, fellowship, and study. The group supports the Joy Store, packs allergy-friendly bags for the Bags of Hope backpack program, provides care bags for women connected to the All In Guatemala ministry, and sustains several of the church's longest-running mission initiatives.
Leadership and Music Staff
Davidson UMC follows the organizational plan set forth in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, with an Administrative Council, Charge Conference, and committees that guide the life of the church. Leamon Brice serves as Lay Leader, working with the church's Administrative Council Chair Frieda Brown, Finance Committee Chair Tom Helms, Staff-Parish Relations Committee Chair Holly Aughtry, and Board of Trustees Chair Leslie Thomas.
The senior pastor is Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Coppedge-Henley, who began serving in July 2026 after more than two decades of pastoral leadership in the Western North Carolina Conference and most recently as President and CEO of the Georgia United Methodist Foundation. She is an ordained elder, a Duke Divinity School graduate, and a Doctor of Ministry graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary. Rev. Jim Humphries, who joined the staff in 2019, serves as Pastor of Congregational Care, walking with members through loss, illness, and life transitions. Rev. Meredith Hinton, an ordained Deacon with about 18 years of youth ministry experience, serves as Next Generation Ministry Architect and Pastor of Youth.
Supporting the pastors are Brittany Viehmann (Director of Involvement), the first point of contact for newcomers; Mary Laurens Minich (Director of Children's Ministries); Jessica Cross (Preschool Director); Sally Jackson (Next Generation Ministry Administrative Coordinator); Shaun Jayne (Assistant Director of Facilities and Childcare Coordinator); Melissa McLeod (Executive Assistant); Tresca McSwain (Missions Coordinator); Gail Spach (Church Librarian and Administrative Assistant to Missions and Adult Faith Formation); Travis Smith (Director of Communications); Andrea Venus (Assistant Finance Director); Erin Garrett (giving administration); Jeff Sweet (Modern Worship Leader); Dr. Phil Wilhelm (Director of Music and Worship); John Settlemyer (Organist); Zackary Schlegel (Therapist, Sanctuary Counseling Group); Dianna Raker (Kitchen Coordinator); and Nicholas Puckett (Sexton).
Midweek Dinners, Retreats, and Life at DUMC
Wednesday evenings center around Midweek at Davidson UMC, where dinner is served from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at $5 per person or $20 per family. The meal is followed by age-appropriate activities: children's choirs and programs, youth gatherings, adult studies, and fellowship groups. Throughout the year the church offers retreats such as the youth fall retreat at Camp Tekoa in Hendersonville, a Spring Financial Series on planning for the future, and seasonal gatherings like the Blessing of the Animals, the Pumpkin Patch, and the Great Day of Service in the fall.
Getting Involved: Serve and Sign Up
The church keeps a running Serve and Sign Up page where members can volunteer for specific roles: acolytes, crucifers, lectors, communion servers, sound and video operators, greeters, parking lot greeters, ushers, the Welcome Center, Sunday morning fellowship coffee, transportation for The Pines, first-time guest outreach, children's music, children's education, and youth ministry.
Outside the building, members can sign up to serve through Ada Jenkins LEARN Works, the Roof Above Men's Shelter meal, Room In the Inn, and the sanctuary flower ministry. Giving is made simple through text-to-give by texting DUMCGIVE to 73256, online giving through Realm, automatic bank draft, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, and gifts of securities. The church office, located at 233 South Main Street, is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the mailing address is PO Box 718, Davidson, NC 28036.
From its founding in 1906 to its current four-service Sunday morning and a ministry footprint that reaches from the Sanctuary to the highlands of Guatemala, Davidson United Methodist Church has built a congregation whose life is rooted in worship, education, fellowship, and service, and whose doors remain open to anyone walking in from South Main Street.