Farmville United Methodist Church is an old church that has a new look. The stately centenarian of Farmville churches received the Farmville Chamber of Commerce “Looking Our Best” award last week for its updated look — the result of a recently-completed $1.3 million renovation.

“It felt like an important thing to do,” Farmville UMC Lead Pastor the Rev. Michael Kendall said. “There is a lot of energy here in this part of town.”

That energy centered on the corner of High and Randolph streets where the Methodist church was built 177 years ago. The church, you might say, grew along with the town. Construction on the sanctuary began in 1839, the same year Farmville Female Seminary, now Longwood University, opened its doors.

While Methodism has deep roots in Farmville dating back to 1798, it was the Great Revival of 1837 that “closed stores on Main Street and saw many souls converted” that allowed the denomination to branch out.

The Methodist movement was so successful, in fact, that by the early 1900s the church was deemed too small. To accommodate the growing congregation, in 1906 the Rev. J. B. Winn started a movement to enlarge the church and raised subscriptions of about $10,000 toward that project. Raising the remainder of needed funds fell to Winn’s successor, the Rev. S.C. Hatcher, whose skill as a fundraiser was nothing short of phenomenal. It was Hatcher who convinced a church committee to tear down the old building and construct a new one in its place. The result was the present-day sanctuary described in The Farmville Herald in May 8, 1908, as “the handsomest (church) in the state, complete in every respect.”

The new church featured seating for over 400 and a vaulted ceiling rising 26 feet above the assembled worshipers. Those who attended the church dedication enjoyed the initial performance of the church’s new pipe organ and had the first glimpse of five of the church’s 13 stained-glass windows, two large center windows on either side of the sanctuary and three on the wall behind the balcony.

During that service, Hatcher again displayed his fundraising skill. The Herald gave this account: “Following the morning message by Rev. Winn, Rev. Hatcher took the congregation in hand, and congratulating the church and people of Farmville upon the acquisition of such an edifice, proceeded to solicit subscriptions (payable in yearly installments of $5 to $500) for the remaining $15,000 due. In less than 30 minutes Rev. Hatcher had the church free of debt.”

The total cost of the building, as reported by Judge J. M. Crute at the conclusion of the dedication, was roughly $38,000.

The cost of construction in 2016, as Rev. Kendall and members Farmville UMC’s building committee can tell you, has increased significantly in 108 years.

“When I arrived here there was a general catalog of things that were going to be needed,” Kendall said.

The first item to be addressed was the roof.

“That spring and summer of 2014 we had an evaluation,” Kendall said.

The recommendation was to replace the existing slate roof — no easy task considering the height and size of the building.

The church hired architect John Ramsey to oversee the project, and work on the roof — at a cost of roughly $500,000 — began that summer.

With the new roof in place the church took on an imposing list of needed upgrades.

“We painted the exterior, not brick potions of the building, put in new electrical, installed a new boiler/heating/air system, did interior painting, installed new carpet and did some masonry work on the exterior,” church secretary Jennifer Kinne said.

“ We also installed a new technology, sound and projection system in the sanctuary, added a new security system and updated landscaping,”

“John Ramsey has championed all of it,” Kendall said. “The difference he has made is in asking the right questions and keeping on top of things.”

That included the roof.

“John has been up on the roof countless times,” Kendall said. “He also crawled through the underbelly of the church. He has worked with overseeing the general contractors and all the subs down to the fine-tooth-comb details.”

“We have also been blessed to have Johnny Holman on our board of trustees,” Kendall said. “He’s our go-to person on this.”

Church member Cale Godfrey headed the Capital Campaign Committee that spent most of last year raising funds for the next phase of the renovation project.

“I really like the Capital Campaign slogan,” Kendall said.  “It is, ‘honoring our past, ensuring our faith’s future.’ I loved the notion that in honoring the past we are ensuring the future.”

It was a sentiment also voiced in 1908. An editorial in the Herald’s May 3, 1908, edition stated: “Methodists do not worship paintings, nor pictures, nor musical instruments, nor buildings, but in a church like this dedicated to worship of Almighty God, they will be lifted nearer to the Father’s home and in closer touch with the singing of angels.”

Although written over a century ago, these words remain a fitting endorsement. At Farmville UMC “Looking Our Best” is not an end result — it’s the beginning of another chapter in the town’s history.