Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church in Columbia, Missouri, Holds Final Service After 112 Years

After 112 years, Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church in Columbia held its last service on Sunday. The day was also a “homecoming” celebration that welcomed back former pastors and past members.

The church had been the home of Turning Point since 2014. Turning Point is a United Methodist ministry that serves people who are homeless. As the ministry moved its operations to the VAC Opportunity Campus on Business Loop 70, the church struggled to find ways to replace the income it had received from Turning Point’s rent.

Former congregants and staff spoke about what the church had meant to them. Mary Bell, a recovering addict, said the church helped her get sober. “This church believed in me before I believed in myself,” Bell said. She has been sober for 18 months.

Pastor Meg Hegemann, who served the church from 2010 to 2016, said, “The church is the people. This will not end.” Hegemann was one of several former pastors who attended. Brad Bryan, who served as a pastor for seven years and as executive director of Turning Point, listened to the speakers while his daughter comforted him, a moment of shared grief (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Diane Peterson, the church’s lay leader and treasurer, spoke about the congregation’s history. She has attended the church for 13 years. Susan March has attended since 1991, and Lisa Miles has attended for the past seven years. Dawn Brown, who served as the church’s director of music for three years, embraced Miles after the service.

Marcus Reynolds, a former director of Turning Point who led the ministry for four years, also took part in the gathering and embraced Hegemann. Congregants sang together during the final gathering.

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