A Church Born in 1955 on Courthouse Road
Eastland United Methodist Church has been a part of Spotsylvania for more than seven decades. The congregation traces its roots to an August 23, 1955 meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Taylor, where a small group discussed the possibility of starting a new church. Less than a month later, on September 11, 1955, Rev. Cephas Haynes led the first service at the Courtland Home Demonstration Club building, with fifteen people in attendance.
The early years moved quickly. The Women's Society of Christian Service was formed in October 1955. The following March, the church joined the Richmond District. The first Vacation Bible School drew forty-two children in the summer of 1956. By the end of that year, a youth group had been formed and there were twenty-nine members. A half-acre of land donated by Georgia Eubank for the future church site was later sold to the State of Virginia to make way for Interstate 95.
In March 1957, a house and lot were purchased to be remodeled as a church, with the first service held in that building on August 4, 1957. The lot and house next door were purchased that September. Beginning with the 1957-1958 church year, Eastland became a two-charge conference with the addition of Zion Methodist Church at Spotsylvania Courthouse. In 1962, Rev. R.J. Donnelly became pastor and Eastland was transferred to the Alexandria District; in 1971 it became part of the newly formed Ashland District. By 1965, the membership had grown to 178 and Eastland had its first full-time minister, Rev. J. Emerson Powell.
Throughout the 1970s, the congregation fundraised to build a new sanctuary. On May 1, 1980, an agreement was made to split from Zion Methodist Church, and on May 11 of the same year, groundbreaking was held for the new building. Just over a year later, on June 21, 1981, the first Sunday morning service was held in the new sanctuary, which was later consecrated on January 23, 1983. After some lean years in the 1990s with part-time ministers, Eastland returned to having a full-time minister in 2010.
One memorable detail from the early years involves the purchase of an organ in the early 1960s. Along with private donations and fundraisers, a decision was made to initiate an S&H green stamps drive. Booklets were collected from across the state, advertised in local newspapers, and applied to the cost of the new organ, which was dedicated at a special service upon its arrival.
Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday worship takes place at 10:00 a.m. Visitors are invited to come as they are, with children especially welcomed. The congregation's spirit is captured in its mission: Through a welcoming spirit, prayer, and a heart for service, we create a community of faith for all people by God's love. The vision guiding the congregation is to invite, welcome, spiritually feed and nurture all of God's people in the Christian faith and empower them to serve and love others in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Hospitality, service, prayer, and community stand at the center of Eastland's life together.
Thursday Morning Prayer
Each Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m., the congregation gathers in the sanctuary for a time of prayer. The hour lifts up the congregation's health concerns, ministry efforts, and community and world concerns. Time is also set aside for quiet reflection and personal prayer, drawing worshipers closer to God individually.
The Choir and Music Ministry
Afton Duenow has served as Eastland's accompanist for at least nine years and as choir director for several years beyond that. Raised in a household steeped in church music (her father was a Lutheran pastor and her mother the choir director), she began accompanying choirs at twelve. She plays piano and organ for the congregation, and also flute, piccolo, recorder, a little guitar, and a little Hardanger fiddle.
The small but mighty Eastland choir rehearses every Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. There are no auditions and no vocal expertise required, only a willingness to dedicate time to learn the music and sing as a cohesive unit. The choir leads the congregation in joyful praise on Sunday mornings, with a brief run-through of the music that same morning. There are no rehearsals during June, July, and August. Singers of all levels are welcome.
Missions: A Year of Giving Back
Eastland has been a member agency of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank since 2013. The church serves as a distribution site for the food bank's Commodity Supplemental Food Program, providing a prepacked box of dry commodities along with fresh vegetables, fruit, and meats to seniors aged sixty and over.
Each month of the year, Eastland sponsors a different non-profit organization through its Mission-of-the-Month program. Assistance comes either through collecting tangible items or making a financial contribution. Past recipients have included the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Department, the Paul Stefan Home for Expectant Mothers, Rikki's Refuge, Blue Star Mothers, Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child, United Methodist Family Services, and Spotsylvania County's Treasure House. Other partners have included Micah Ecumenical Ministries, Empowerhouse, the Fairy Godmother Project, and Toys for Tots.
The congregation also assembles flood buckets and personal hygiene kits as projects of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a humanitarian aid and development organization of the United Methodist Church.
Joining Eastland
Eastland United Methodist Church sits at 10718 Courthouse Road in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning prayer gathers at 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. The church choir rehearses at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons. Visitors are warmly welcomed to come as they are, with children especially so. Members of the church and the surrounding Spotsylvania neighborhoods are invited to gather around both word and local need through monthly giving and a long history of hospitality.