PETERSTOWN, WV – The ongoing split in the United Methodist Church is forcing many churches to make difficult decisions, even at the local level.
The congregation of what was once known as Peterstown United Methodist Church has decided to split off to form a nondenominational church called Peterstown Worship Center.
However, this decision has cost them their church building, as Sunday, February 23, 2025 marked their final service in it, possibly forever.
After 151 years of using and expanding their church, they now need to find a new place to worship.
Matthew Sauvage is the pastor of Peterstown Worship Center.
He explained that they must relocate because the United Methodist Church owns the land on which their historic church stands.
“They had a general conference last year and the changes they made did not agree with our beliefs that we had and so we decided that it was better for us to leave,” said the pastor.
Rather than treating their final service as a funeral, they chose to celebrate. They commemorated the past while celebrating their current status as a congregation.
Phillip Shrewsbury is a member of this church.
“I couldn’t feel sad, really. When this sanctuary was first built, my two children, the middle and youngest, were the first acolytes at the inaugural service. If there was any reason for sadness, I could have dug in and found it. But all I felt was joy. Shrewsbury described six baptisms and the Christian fellowship here as nothing but joy.
“I’ve been here since 1987, and my father was a pastor here for a while, so this has been my home. However, we have come to realize that a building is simply a building. Of course, it was an incredible celebration when you get a surprise baptism, and I’ve been talking with [the guy who was baptized] for a while, but that’s what this is about. This whole thing is about the baptisms, which saved souls. It is about nothing else,” said Pastor Sauvage.
For the foreseeable future, Peterstown Worship Center will hold services in the chapel at Broyles-Shrewsbury Funeral Home.
Pastor Sauvage told 59News that they hope to buy back their historic church building in the future.
