In a fast-paced world where so many things are fleeting, it’s important that we take time to celebrate our enduring past and the people who have helped to preserve it. 

To that end, on July 30, White House First United Methodist Church will be celebrating its 125th anniversary, and Brother Paul Edwards can barely contain his excitement. 

“This celebration has created a lot of joy within the congregation. We’re celebrating where we’ve been and where we're going. The theme for the event is Holy Spirit Powered, but the biggest part of it is celebrating our yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows,” says Brother Paul. 

Plans for the celebration involve a service in the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m., after which attendees are invited to take a trip down memory lane by visiting the various Sunday school rooms that will each be filled with church memorabilia from different decades. 

While the choir and musicians from the contemporary service come together to provide entertainment, a meal featuring recipes from congregants who have passed on will be served in honor of those who have played a role in building the longstanding church. 

“Through the years there have been multiple cookbooks that have been published by the church, and we’ll be taking the recipes of some of the pillars of the church that have gone on to be with the Lord. Members will be cooking these recipes, as well as their own, which will then be displayed on the tables to represent our yesterdays and todays, and we’ll have some healthy options to represent our tomorrows,” Brother Paul continues. 

Properly celebrating a 125-year milestone involves commemorating the history that made it possible. 

According to June Taylor, a lifelong church member and local history buff, the church was first organized with a congregation of 23 men and women. The original building was located on land they purchased in 1898 from a resident named Ned Wilks for the sum of $60, where the White House Utility District office currently stands today.

In 1939, the existing church united with the Methodist Protestants to form a new Methodist Church, and with the restructuring came a new name, the White House First United Methodist Church. The cornerstone for the building that now houses the church was laid in 1964.

As plans for the 125th anniversary progress, an important aspect of the celebration is the recognition of 22 members of the congregation who have been attending for 50 years or longer. 

Three of these members; Tom Byrum, Charlene Reid, and Sue Wilkinson, were born in 1932 and were members of the same high school graduating class. All three just turned 90 years old, however, they are not the oldest living members of the church. That title belongs to Leta Beth Lamberth, who is 97. 

Each week, parishioners of all ages worship side by side with the oldest living members who are able to physically attend.

The premise of the 125th anniversary celebration for White House First United Methodist Church is reminiscing about the past, appreciating the present, and looking forward to the future, a fitting theme for a church that welcomes a mixture of new faces and families who have been attending for generations.