Our History
Where Carolina Methodism was born
Methodists first arrived on the North American continent in the middle third of the eighteenth century as members of Methodist Societies in England began immigrating to the new world. Though some were able to gather themselves into small class meetings and Methodist Societies, they had all but lost their connection to Methodist founder John Wesley and to their brothers and sisters back in England. In 1768, Thomas Taylor wrote a famous letter to Mr. Wesley asking that he send preachers to the Methodists in North America. In response, Wesley asked for volunteers. Two young men stepped forward. They were named Joseph Pilmoor and Richard Boardman.
The First Sermon in Carolina
Pilmoor and Boardman arrived in the colonies in late 1768 and immediately set to work. Pilmoor made Philadelphia his home base, but made several trips outside the area to preach and form Methodist Societies. In 1772, he traveled South to Norfolk, Virginia, stopping to preach at Great Bridge and continuing south into Currituck, North Carolina. In September of 1772, Pilmoor spent the night near what is now Moyock, then, in the morning, made his way to the Currituck Courthouse where he preached the first Methodist Sermon in North Carolina.
An Abiding Memorial
154 years later, on the last Sunday of September 1928, the cornerstone was laid on the first brick church in Currituck County. The new church was located near the old Courthouse and was to be a memorial to Joseph Pilmoor and that first sermon. This would be a new church building and a new name, but not a new congregation. The existing Methodist congregation at Baxter's Grove (four miles north of Curriuck Courthouse off of what is now Tulls Creek Road) would relocate into the new building as soon as it was ready.
A History of Risk Taking Mission
Within months of its first service, the congregation recognized that the unique geography of rural Currituck County necessitated approach to ministry. In 1929, the congregation purchased a school bus and began traveling the highways and byways of the county to bring members to church. In the early 1930's a second vehical was purchased and added to the fleet. That original bus was named "Miss Memorial" and represents one of the first ministries of its kind in a rural area of the United States.
In the years ahead, opportunities would arise to reach out to the community in new and creative ways. The county's first Food Pantry and Preschool were both established by the congregation over 25 years ago and are still in operation. In 2003, members formed a unique partnership with local churches as well as public and private agencies to establish a novel program to assist single mothers with significant economic challenges. In 2005, we began Road to Recovery, a ministry providing transportation for cancer patients going to therapy. And in 2008, a Before/After School care program was established. These activies and others contributed to Pilmoor being named an "Acts 2" congregation by the North Carolina Annual Conference.
