What we are doing TODAY is far more important than dwelling on the past, but it is helpful to remember the “cloud of witnesses” who preceded us. Knowing where we’ve been can help light to path forward to where God is calling us.
Buildings and Names
What we now know as the Pitman United Methodist Church grew out of the Camp Meetings which were held in the Pitman Grove every summer. As more and more visitors opted to remain in Pitman throughout the year, the town grew and a church was needed. In 1885, the “Pitman Grove Methodist Episcopal Church” was founded. The first building was located on the Northeast corner of Laurel and Cedar Aves. In 1895 ground was broken for a new church building on the corner of Broadway and Holly. The “Methodist Episcopal Church” became the “Methodist Church” and later the “United Methodist Church”.
In 2003, an electrical fire destroyed our building that was in the center of town (actually, it was “lot 1 block 1”!). In 2007 construction was completed on our new building, located on the corner of Broadway and Lambs Road.
For more details, check out the article that was written for a news Blog called Pitman Online. It was published several years ago, but does a great job at detailing PUMC’s history. Click the below button to view this article:
People
But the church isn’t a building. It’s the people who serve and love Jesus; who fan each other’s faith into eternal love that continually glorifies our God. Over the years, many people have been part of PUMC. One way to learn something about those people is the following quiz. Don’t worry- nobody will see your grade! And, it’s multiple choice!
Try the quiz as many times as you want; the questions come from a larger pool, and the questions you’ll see (5) will be randomly selected from this pool.
This quiz digs out some old pictures and some current pictures of the pastors and leaders of our church. If you’re an old time PUMC’er, you might enjoy the memories. If you’re new to PUMC, you’ll have the chance to learn a bit about our history.
To start the quiz, click the “Next” button. Click the “switches” to select your answer. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll see the correct answer and an explanation. Click the “Next” button again to advance to the next question.
Enjoy!
Results
You got them all correct!
Not quite. But keep trying.
#1. When taken, which of the following correctly identifies the people in the above picture?
This photo was taken November of 2013 when Bishop John Schol (of the Greater NJ Annual Conference) visited PUMC. Bishop Schol is in white. Also shown (l-r) are District Superintendent Rev. Richard Nichols, PUMC Sr. Pastor Rev. Larry Potts, Bishop Schol, and PUMC Associate Pastor Rev. Kee Yang.
#2. Who is NOT actively involved with Our Father’s House preschool (at the time the picture was taken)?
Kate
Kate Dilks-Bird (together with her husband Lance) led our youth groups, but she was never directly involved with Our Father’s House.
Unfortunately (for those on this side of Glory), “Mike” (Michael Murphy, who played piano for OFH, passed away in 2021. We all miss him, but we celebrate the example he left us with.
#3. The person pictured above served in our church between 1952 to 1977. Who replaced him in 1977?
Sue Crispin replaced Charles Ware as our organist / music director in 1977. Mr. Ware served in that role from 1952 until 1977.
#4. When this photo was taken, what two positions did these people hold?
PUMC Lay Leader, Conference Lay Leader
Pictured are Larry Bakely (PUMC Lay Leader) and Rosa Williams (Greater NJ Annual Conference Lay Leader).
#5. Who served two tenures as our Associate Pastor?
Rev. Light
Rev. Warren Light served as our Associate Pastor (with Rev. Robert Acheson) between 1962-1964, and then he returned as our associate between 1970-1974. While in Pitman, he was an active member of the Fire Department. On several occasions he would rush out of the sanctuary when the alarm sounded.
For the Quiz of the week, visit the “Bible Quiz” page (it’s under the “News” menu). The quiz changes every Sunday.
Or, click this button:
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For more articles about the history of PUMC, click the following button:
PUMC History
