A Family on Church Street in the City of Roses
Gibsonville United Methodist Church stands at 501 Church Street in the heart of Gibsonville, a Piedmont Triad town known as the City of Roses that sits between Greensboro and Burlington, just down the road from Elon University. From that address the church reaches into the surrounding neighborhoods with two Sunday services, a full slate of age-graded ministries, and a steady stream of bag lunches and canned fruit that leave the fellowship hall every week. The congregation describes itself in a phrase that runs through the church's own materials: "A People Called Family and a Place Called Home." Rev. Carol P. Carkin serves as pastor, with Dr. Greyson Clifton directing communications and worship music and Michelle Rash leading the children and youth program.
Roots That Reach Back to 1887
The Gibsonville United Methodist Church grew out of two earlier Methodist bodies that each planted a presence in the small town. The Methodist Protestant Church organized the first church in Gibsonville in 1887. Twenty years later, in 1907, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South became the third church in town to organize. The two local Methodist bodies came together in 1938 to form the Gibsonville Methodist Church. When the national Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged in 1968, the congregation took its present name, Gibsonville United Methodist Church. The Western NC Conference and the Northern Piedmont District are the regional connections that link the church to the wider denomination, and a history committee, with Ted Bales serving as historian and later Historian Emeritus, has worked since 2007 to preserve that story in words and pictures.
Two Services, One Church Family
Sunday morning at Gibsonville UMC opens at 9:00 with Contemporary Worship, an informal gathering that pairs a fresh look at Scripture with contemporary music and a relaxed feel. Nursery care is available for infants through five-year-olds from 9:00 a.m. until noon, so families with small children can settle in without worry. At 10:00, the Sunday school hour gathers children, youth, and adults in classes across the building - elementary children meet in the orange room on the second floor, and the teens leave the church around 10:00 a.m. to walk to the Gilded Bean coffee shop for class before returning for the second service. At 11:00, the Traditional Worship service fills the sanctuary with hymns led by the Chancel Choir, music from Dr. Greyson Clifton on piano and other instruments, and creative elements such as video and other presentations. Both services are livestreamed through BoxCast and on Facebook Live, so members who are traveling or unwell can still join from home.
Music That Fills the Sanctuary
Music is a signature ministry of the church. Dr. Greyson Clifton and Lynn Woodruff shape a Music Ministry that brings together three ensembles. The Praise Team, which includes youth, leads the contemporary service and introduces the newest worship songs. The Chancel Choir directs the traditional music each Sunday and offers an eclectic mix of anthems, along with special seasonal musicals. The Hand Bell Choir is a 3 1/2 octave group made up of older adults, young adults, and teens. Singers, instrumentalists of any level, and people willing to run sound, cameras, or computers are all welcome to step into the music program.
Children, Tweens, and Youth
The children's and youth wing is led by Michelle Rash and follows a clear mission: "to uplift, serve, and connect with God's children and youth to instill a lifetime of faith and nurture Christian relationships," shaped by the values Christlike, Supportive, Inclusive, and Genuine. Children in kindergarten through fourth grade gather for Kingdom Kids on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. with games, Bible teaching, and fellowship. Elementary children also have Sunday school each week in the orange room on the second floor, where they use the one-room "Two or More" curriculum for Bible-rich, intergenerational learning. Tweens in fifth through eighth grade meet Sundays from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. on the lower level of the church for a snack supper, relationship building, and Bible lessons that engage the questions of that age. They also have Sunday school classes on the second and fourth Sundays using the Bible Studies for Life curriculum. The high school youth group, for students in sixth through twelfth grade, meets on the second and fourth Sundays at 4:00 p.m. and gathers for service projects, retreats, outings, and fellowship throughout the year. A Safe Sanctuary policy guides all of this work, and a children and youth newsletter keeps families informed.
Classes, Groups, and the Work of the UMW and Methodist Men
Adults at Gibsonville UMC have several places to dig in. Sunday school classes for adults include Friends in Faith, the Disciples Class, and the Wharton Class, along with short-term studies that run in season. Small groups gather around Disciple Bible Study, Alive in Christ, seasonal Bible studies, a Care and Share group, and a fellowship dinner. United Methodist Women keeps a steady stream of service projects moving: monthly snacks to Gibsonville Elementary School, classroom partnerships, comfort and repast meals for bereaved families, and twice-yearly bake sales. Methodist Men meet twice a month - for breakfast on the first Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall, and for dinner on the third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at a local restaurant. The men cook, lead devotions, support the shut-in DVD ministry, host the annual church and community barbecue chicken dinner on the third Saturday of October, and pitch in with set-up and take-down for worship, fellowship, and music events.
Hands-On Local Missions
The church's local mission work centers on feeding neighbors. The PB and J Ministry packs bag lunches each week for children in several Gibsonville communities: volunteers fill the bags on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall, make peanut butter, jelly, and cheese sandwiches in the church kitchen on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and deliver them starting at 10:00 a.m. Donation bins for peanut butter, grape jam, fruit cups, juice boxes, and chips sit in the Welcome Center and Narthex. On the first Sunday of every month, the church collects canned fruit for the Greensboro Urban Ministries food pantry, and on the third Sunday donations support the food pantry at First Baptist Church, Gibsonville, which is open Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Every fifth Sunday and at other points in the year, the congregation gathers items for back-to-school book bags and supplies, Operation Christmas Child boxes, summer PB and J supplies, the community Truck-or-Treat, the Community Christmas Party, the Out of the Garden Backpack Ministry, hats and gloves for the Allied Churches Homeless Shelter, and children's underwear for Allied Churches and Gibsonville Elementary. The congregation has also packed 20,000 bags of food for Feed the Hunger for worldwide distribution.
Global Reach Through UMCOR
Global mission giving at Gibsonville UMC runs through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The church teaches that 100 percent of donations to UMCOR support relief efforts around the world, working alongside other worldwide organizations to bring help after weather events, earthquakes, and the results of war. The aim of the work is twofold: to bring healing and to build relationships in Jesus Christ.
Pastoral Care and Spiritual Growth
Pastor Carol Carkin is available for prayer, conversation, and pastoral care. Prayer requests can be submitted through a form on the church's pastoral care page. The church also walks alongside members through Chrysalis, a spiritual growth program for youth, and Walk to Emmaus, the same program for adults. Daily devotionals come through The Upper Room, with Pockets for children and Devo for youth. The church helps schedule weddings and funerals through the church office, and welcomes newcomers through Connection Classes offered a few times a year, which introduce the United Methodist Church and the church's own ministries to those considering membership. People join by profession of faith and baptism, by transfer from another Christian denomination, or by transfer from another United Methodist Church.
The Story Family Scholarship Fund
Each year the Story Family Scholarship Fund, established in 1990 by Barbara Capitola Story Gorman, helps members of the congregation and others continue their education beyond high school. Recipients are selected by the church's scholarship committee on the basis of good citizenship, a stated career goal, a C average or better, recommendations, and financial need. Awards are granted for one academic year and may be renewed up to four times.
Visiting Gibsonville UMC
First-time guests find a church that wants them to feel at home. The dress ranges from suits to jeans, dresses to pants, dress shoes to flip-flops, and the welcome is the same in any of them. Visitors are not singled out, though everyone is invited to share a name and contact on the friendship pad so the church can say thank you and help newcomers find their way. The offering is part of worship, but first-time visitors are guests; their presence is the gift. Parking is available in lots diagonally across from the church (across from the old Gibsonville Elementary School), directly across from the church, and behind the church, where accessible parking and a portico lead to an elevator. The main worship entrance is up the front stairs facing Church Street. For Sunday school, studies, and meetings, guests use the back drive off East Joyner Street, park beside the playground, and enter through the double doors into the Welcome Center, where someone will help with directions. The church office sits just inside that entrance. Tithes and offerings can be mailed to PO Box 82, Gibsonville, NC 27249, or given online.