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50th Anniversary Faith Community UMC from Faith Community UMC on Vimeo.

Early in August 1966, an impressive-looking young man knocked on many doors in the Pisgah area and announced, “I am Reverend Bill Langham. I have been sent here by the Dayton District of the Ohio Methodist Conference to establish a Methodist church in Pisgah. A parsonage has been purchased at the corner of Nieda Drive and Meadowview. Six and one-quarter acres of land have been purchased on Cox Road for a building site. Our assigned job is to develop a congregation and build a church.” 1

Thus began what is now Faith Community United Methodist Church. It has been said that it was “truly a spiritual experience to watch that group of Christian people join together in their struggle to build some kind of a church program. We were dealing with the very basic necessities of existence – like finding a few hymnals, paying the rent at Hopewell School [where services were first held], using paper plates for collection plates. Times were very trying and touch and go.” 1

The first church service was held in the Hopewell School on August 21, 1966. There were 64 people in the service and 13 in the nursery. The church got its official name of Faith Community United Methodist Church on September 6, 1966. Thirty-five people were brought into the church, becoming charter members on September 25, 1966.

1967 was a time of working on membership and church programs, and planning for the future. A vote was taken, but the small congregation of 100 did not seem ready to build quite yet. There was more work to be done, and the congregation worked at developing many critical needs: a statement of proposed ministry membership and financial goals; plans for a multi-purpose building; and creating officers and committees.

On a Sunday morning in 1969, the new building was ready. As the story goes, “We marched from the Hopewell School to the open door of our new church, singing ‘O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing’ and praising God.” The small but loyal and hardworking congregation was a testimonial to the scripture that says, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1)  1

Since then, Faith Community has grown tremendously. Several building projects have happened along the way, including construction of our current sanctuary in 1989. Several senior pastors — Rodney Vernon, Stanley Lawrence, Roland Fierce, David Bridgman, Randy Stearns, Tim Waugh and current senior pastor Andy Wagner — have served our congregation.

In addition to building projects and increasing our membership, Faith Community has also grown in the types of worship offered to our congregation. In the mid-nineties, Faith Community offered only traditional-style worship. Then in 1995, church leaders took the bold step to expand our worship opportunities so that more people, and new people, could connect to God.

For one year the church studied and prayed and practiced a new style of worship called “contemporary.” Then in 1996, Faith offered our first contemporary worship service. From that faithful beginning, Faith Community church has been known as a place that honors the rich variety of worship in what we call traditional and contemporary.

Dual worship venues have been very successful at Faith Community. Now, 50-plus years after the launch at Hopewell School, Faith Community has a membership of over 1,000. As a community of Christians, we focus on “Living the Journey … Sharing the Story” by fostering a love of God through small groups and dynamic family ministry programs. We also actively reach out into the community by serving others right here in our own community, as well as nationally and internationally. Faith Community is truly in the business of changing lives as we fulfill our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.


1 From “Some Early Days of the Faith Community United Methodist Church,” by D. Russell Lee.