A Faith Community in Northern Durham for 140 Years
Mt. Sylvan United Methodist Church sits on North Roxboro Road in Northern Durham and has been gathering people in this corner of the city for 140 years. Its vision is to be "a community of disciples making disciples," and its five core values shape everything the congregation does: Tradition, Generosity, Care, Outreach, and Growth. These were reaffirmed by a Vision Team report completed in 2018 after two years of congregational conversation, prayer, and study, and they continue to guide how new ministries are proposed and supported.
The church's motto - "All are welcome and you are invited" - shows up in every corner of the campus, from the narthex where rocking chairs and worship bags are set out for fidgety little ones, to the front lawn that fills with thousands of pumpkins each October. Mt. Sylvan sees itself as both a long-rooted neighborhood church and a hub for missions reaching into Durham, eastern North Carolina, and Haiti.
Sunday Worship on North Roxboro
The congregation gathers for a single Sunday worship service at 10:30 AM, both in the sanctuary and online through the church's YouTube channel. Sunday School for adults, youth, and children meets an hour earlier, at 9:30 AM. The service follows the classic "Word and Table" order of worship, draws from the United Methodist Hymnal, and is led by the chancel choir, organ, and piano. On the first Sunday of every month the congregation celebrates Holy Communion using the traditional Great Thanksgiving liturgy.
Children are warmly welcomed in worship with all their wiggles and noises. For parents who want a break, a nursery is staffed with loving caregivers. For families who want to stay close, the narthex outside the sanctuary offers rocking chairs and worship bags. Acolytes and crossbearers as young as third grade light the candles and bring in the cross at the 10:30 service, making worship a multi-generational act.
What you wear is whatever you like. Visitors will see suits and ties, blue jeans, and everything in between. Doors, greeters, and the Welcome Ministry are set up to make newcomers feel expected, not examined.
A Place for Children and Youth
Mt. Sylvan invests heavily in its youngest members. The Children's Ministry is coordinated by Heather Thompson, a full-time theatre arts teacher whose creative instinct shapes the program. Children in preschool through upper elementary meet for Sunday School at 9:30 AM in the Tree House children's center, where the Grow curriculum takes a different theme each month and folds in scripture, music, crafts, and fellowship. Each summer the children also enjoy Performing Arts Day Camp with hands-on music activities.
Middle and high schoolers make up Mt. Sylvan Youth, which meets every Sunday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The schedule is simple and unhurried: dinner together, games and laughter, then a topical Bible study. The group takes seriously the call to serve their community and the world, joining church-wide efforts like Rise Against Hunger and running its own service projects. Annual highlights include an August "wreck night" with shaving cream and water balloons, a fall pumpkin fundraiser, the November Pilgrimage youth conference, a December Advent celebration, and a five-day summer retreat at Lake Junaluska.
A Youth Band welcomes students in grades 6 through 12 and rehearses before Youth Group most Sundays at 5:30 PM in the sanctuary, giving young musicians a place to lead worship.
Music as a Cornerstone
Music is one of Mt. Sylvan's signature ministries and is led by Rev. Bill Nordan, Minister of Music. The chancel choir, open to youth and adults, sings most Sundays and rehearses Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM, with an additional Sunday morning warm-up before worship. The choir carries the weight of special services during Advent, Christmas, and Easter. The Mt. Sylvan Ringers handbell ensemble rehearses on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM and plays in worship about once a month, joining regional handbell festivals as well.
Discipleship, Sunday School, and Bible Study
Beyond Sunday morning worship, Mt. Sylvan offers a steady rhythm of Bible study and small groups. Sunday School classes for adults meet at 9:30 AM, with options for every stage of life:
- Action Class - a medium-sized adult class that often follows the Cokesbury Quarterly Adult Bible Studies based on the lectionary but is willing to detour into a book or topic that catches their interest. Meets in person and on Zoom.
- Genesis Class - a smaller, discussion-based group working through video or book studies (Adam Hamilton, Max Lucado, and books of the Bible have all been recent picks). Members range in age from late twenties to sixties and are active in local and worldwide missions. Meets in person and on Google Meet.
- Wesley Class - a large group of mostly retired couples and singles who enjoy lecture-style teaching, also based on the lectionary. Meets in person and on Zoom.
For women, the 4Cs Bible Study gathers on Thursday mornings from 10:30 AM to noon, September through May, in the chapel and on Zoom. The name - compassion, community, caring, and concern - captures the group's tone. They work through a year of devotional readings together and pray for one another.
The More Than Neighbors racial reconciliation group, initiated by The Encouraging Place and aligned with the Methodist commitment to racial equity and justice, draws members from across local churches and meets on the second Saturday of each month. The group fosters racial harmony, empowers women, and creates spaces where every individual feels valued and heard.
Mt. Sylvan Preschool
Housed in the educational building of the church, Mt. Sylvan Preschool has been welcoming Durham's two-to-five-year-olds for more than forty years. It holds a North Carolina G.S. 110/91 General License and serves the diverse needs of many local families. The staff is committed to a safe, nurturing, and enriching experience and accepts that responsibility seriously and joyfully.
Director Lynn Lee leads a long-tenured teaching team, with classroom teachers and assistants for the young two-year-old, older two-year-old, young three-year-old, older three-year-old, younger four-year-old, and older four-year-old classrooms, plus floaters and a kitchen manager. Hours run Monday through seven from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Tuition is $210 weekly for two-year-old classrooms and $200 weekly for three- through five-year-old classrooms, with a non-refundable $100 registration fee.
Pastoral Care and Stephen Ministry
Pastoral care is one of the five core values at Mt. Sylvan, and Rev. Kathie Wilkinson serves as Pastor of Congregational Care. The church's Stephen Ministry extends that care through trained lay caregivers who offer a confidential listening ear, a steady presence, and hope to people facing loss, anxiety, illness, or other difficult circumstances. Stephen Ministers are matched one-to-one with care receivers and meet regularly for as long as the need lasts.
Mt. Sylvan also operates a Prayer Shawl and Quilting Ministry. Knitters, crocheters, and quilters create shawls, quilts, and prayer bears for people who are ill, hospitalized, grieving, or going through hard times. Requests are usually channeled through the pastors. Recipients carry the reminder that they are loved and prayed for.
United Methodist Women and Men
United Methodist Women (also known as United Women in Faith) meets in several smaller groups, or Circles, throughout the month. The largest circles meet on the third Wednesday, third Thursday, and fourth Thursday of each month, with additional circles on the third Monday, second Thursday evening, and first Monday. Together they support a wide array of missions: spiritual growth studies, mission education, child advocacy, the Backpack Program, the Mitten Tree, the Silent Auction for the Fall Festival, prayer bears for the homebound, jeans for men at Butner Hospital, and more.
The United Methodist Men meet on Thursday mornings at 8:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall - except on the first Thursday of each month, when they gather for breakfast at the Silver Spoon Restaurant. The men study the Bible together, host an annual peanut sale fundraiser for missions, and volunteer with Durham Habitat for Humanity through their Sylvan Saints crew.
Sylvan Seniors
The Sylvan Seniors ministry is a community of retired and semi-retired adults who meet on Tuesdays at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall. They plan day trips, short trips, and longer journeys; share fellowship, faith, and a slower pace of life; and look out for one another as they pick more daisies. Newcomers are always welcome.
Recovery, Grief, and Racial Reconciliation
Mt. Sylvan opens its campus to several support groups that serve the wider Durham community. Alcoholics Anonymous meets Mondays at 7:00 PM in the White House on the church property. Al-Anon's Language of Hope Family Group meets Tuesdays at 6:30 PM in the Action classroom. A grief support group gathers Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall for anyone walking through loss.
Missions Across Durham and Beyond
Missions and outreach is a defining mark of the church. Mt. Sylvan runs or partners with a remarkable portfolio:
- The Pumpkin Patch - the entire month of October, the south lawn becomes "The Pumpkin Church" of Northern Durham, selling pumpkins to neighbors. All proceeds support children and youth ministries.
- Backpack Program and Local School Outreach - Mt. Sylvan partners with Eno Valley Elementary, Carrington Middle School, Lucas Middle School, Little River K-8, and Northern High School. Volunteers pack weekend meal bags for food-insecure students, maintain a clothing closet at Eno Valley, and collect school supplies each August on Back to School Sunday.
- Families Moving Forward - Mt. Sylvan serves once a quarter at FMF's facility in Durham, providing meals, childcare, and other support to families working toward stable housing.
- Habitat for Humanity - the Sylvan Saints crew joins Durham Habitat builds throughout the year.
- Rise Against Hunger - each November the Fellowship Hall hosts a meal-packing event that produces thousands of meals for people facing food shortages.
- Urban Ministries of Durham - volunteers staff the food pantry weekly and prepare a hot community meal twice a month.
- Community Garden - a garden on the church property grows food that is shared across the church and neighborhood, bringing together gardeners of all ages, abilities, races, and classes.
- Disaster Response - the Early Response Team takes one-day and multi-day flood relief trips to eastern North Carolina, working with NCCUMC disaster ministries.
- Haiti Outreach Ministries - every other year, the Missions Ministry sends a volunteer team to Haiti to serve alongside partner organizations.
Health, Wellness, and the Wider Community
The Health and Wellness ministry, a branch of the Caring Ministry Team, sets up monthly blood pressure screenings on the first Sunday of each month in the Bride's Room from 10:10 to 10:30 AM, before worship begins.
Weddings, Baptisms, and Becoming a Member
Mt. Sylvan hosts weddings as a form of worship and a celebration of Christian marriage - described in United Methodist teaching as a sacred covenant reflecting Christ's covenant with the church. A wedding at Mt. Sylvan includes gathering, scripture, a sermon, prayers, music, and often Holy Communion. Inquiries go through the church office.
Baptism is described as "the door through which one enters the church." Mt. Sylvan practices both infant baptism, celebrated as a covenant between God, the church, and the child's parents, and adult or believer's baptism, which celebrates a personal profession of faith and a new identity in Christ. Children and adults interested in joining the church are welcomed by Rev. Don Mitchell and Rev. Kathie Wilkinson.
Annual Rhythms of the Year
Beyond the weekly schedule, the church calendar is anchored by seasons of worship and celebration. Lenten services include a Maundy Thursday service and a Good Friday Tenebrae Service of Darkness. Easter brings an 8:30 AM sunrise service on the front lawn and the 10:30 AM traditional Easter service in the sanctuary. October is the Pumpkin Patch month, paired with the Fall Festival hosted by the United Women in Faith - homemade biscuits, BBQ lunch, baked goods, crafts, silent and live auctions, and free children's activities. Advent closes the year with the Chancel Choir's Christmas Music Program.
Staff and Leadership
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Don Mitchell, who has served as Senior Pastor since 2022. A graduate of East Carolina University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Rev. Mitchell came to Mt. Sylvan after leading churches in New Jersey and Jarvis Memorial UMC in Greenville, NC. He has served in district and conference leadership in both the Greater New Jersey and North Carolina Conferences of the United Methodist Church and is a Certified Stephen Caregiving Ministries Trainer.
Rev. Kathie Wilkinson is an Ordained Deacon in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and the church's Pastor of Congregational Care. She has a passion for leading worship and walking with members through illness and other difficult seasons.
Allison Brown serves as Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries, bringing degrees from Eastern University and Lancaster Theological Seminary. Heather Thompson is the Children's Ministry Coordinator. Hannah Horne coordinates the nursery. Jennifer Scarlett is the Business Administrator. Libby Pinkerton serves as Office Coordinator. Lynn Lee directs the Mt. Sylvan Preschool. Rev. Bill Nordan leads the music ministry.
Visiting and Connecting
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. To get connected, newcomers can subscribe to the Grapevine newsletter, follow Mt. Sylvan on Facebook or Instagram, or reach out directly to the pastors. Online giving is available through Vanco Payment Solutions, with both web and mobile options. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube, so no one has to be on North Roxboro Road on a Sunday morning to join the community of disciples making disciples that has been gathering here for 140 years.