The former Gibson United Methodist Church, now known as the Gibson Chapel Mission, will commence its first worship gathering in one year on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Church member Sadie Odom encourages everyone to attend the reopening.

"One year ago our attendance was dropping, and as a result we began to have problems meeting our financial obligations," Odom said. "The North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church recommended that our church should merge with St. John Methodist Church in Gibson. We held our final service on June 14, 2009."

Odom said the church's closing affected her like the loss of a loved one.

"When I learned that the church would close, myself and many of the church members experienced a grieving period," she said, "because a part of us had been wiped away. But we worked hard all year to get the church reopened, and finally the Conference gave us a second chance."

Conference officials decided to reopen the church as an outreach ministry, and Bishop Alfred Gwinn, presiding bishop of the North Carolina Conference, appointed Scotland County native Dr. William K. Quick as the Pastor-in-Charge.

A 1950 graduate of Gibson High School, Quick graduated from Pfeiffer

Junior College, Randolph-Macon College and Duke Divinity School. Serving

churches in North Carolina for 20 years, he was senior pastor of Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Detroit from 1974 until 1998. He has been a visiting professor at Duke’s theological seminary since 1999.

"Across my 57 years of being in the ministry, I have always gladly claimed Gibson as my home," Quick said. "I am eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to 'come home' to Gibson, which I see as the climax of almost six decades of being a servant of God."

According to Odom, becoming a mission church means that the congregation provides community assistance in addition to holding weekly church services.

"As a mission church we will be serving all people, not just Methodists or church members," she said. "Last week we held a gospel singing to benefit a non-church member who has cancer. More than 110 people attended and gave donations to this person's cause.

"If anyone needs help, we will attempt to assist them."

Worship services will be held each Sunday at 11 a.m.

"We are very excited that the church will be reopening this Sunday," Odom said, "and we invite everyone in the community to come share the experience. Our hope is that everyone, not only Methodists, will join us. Our doors will be open."

The Gibson Chapel Mission is an outreach effort of the Rockingham District “Partners in Ministry” to reach out in a servant ministry across the community. The Rev. Leonard Fairley is superintendent of the district.