Ending its sesquicentennial activities, the Fayetteville First United Methodist Church held a Homecoming celebration.

A previous minister, the Rev. Gary Parrish, spoke at all three Sunday morning worship services.

"This church," he said, "has come a long way and has seen a lot of history. It has lived through the Civil War, two World Wars, a depression, and has offered hope to all through Jesus Christ. This church has always served as a lighthouse, constantly shining through the dark times.

"We have come today to celebrate the past, consecrate the present and commit to the future," Rev. Parrish stated.

The church began in the 1820's but was not officially chartered until 1848. It has been located on four different sites, but all of them were within a half-mile of where it sits today on East Lanier at Church Street.

A covered dish luncheon was held at noon with 350 persons attending. Sesquicentennial chairpersons Quentin and Judy Cash have overseen festivities since the celebration began last April, and they made the table centerpieces.

"It will probably never be known," stated senior church pastor, Dr. Sam Matthews, "how many hundreds of hours these two put on the project. Their love of this church is certainly shown through all their hard work."

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