History

A brief history of the Moravian Church can be found here.

THE HISTORY OF UNION CROSS MORAVIAN CHURCH

Our story begins in 1860. That year the Union Army set up camp at a crossroads, raised the flag and named the area Union Cross.

Thirty-three years later on July 9, 1893, Mr. Danny Hine held a Sunday School class in a grove of trees (located across the road from our new sanctuary) known to all as Uncle Robe’s grove. This little band, who were actually members of Friedland Moravian Church, were trying to organize a church in their own community. The results of this meeting only God could know, but this small band had faith.


On the first Sunday in August, Rev. Woosley from Friedland came to the little village of Union Cross and provided the first sermon ever preached here. Also, plans for perfecting the Sunday School organization were made on this afternoon and on the following Sunday, August 13, the Sunday School at Union Cross became official.

Dr. J.L. Johnson gave this group a small piece of land beside his home. One and one-half years later, our first sanctuary was completed and the first service was held on December 1, 1895. The little white wooden building, if still standing today, would set approximately in our handicapped parking spaces. Sunday School classes were held every Sunday at 1:00pm with five classes in the sanctuary and two in the back classrooms. Worship service was held every third Sunday at 2:30pm.


Until 1926, this group of believers was known as the Union Cross Mission. On Sunday, July 18, 1926, they were formally organized as a congregation of the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in North America with 40 communicate members and became Union Cross Moravian Church. The church bought Dr. Johnson’s house along with nine and 8/10 acres of land in 1938. The house was repaired and eventually four Sunday School classes moved into it.


On August 15, 1948, ground was broken for what is now the old sanctuary. The first service was held in it on January 29, 1950. This sanctuary was built by the men of the church on Saturdays until the work was completed. The women did their part by preparing nourishing meals for the workers. They even worked one Thanksgiving and ate the holiday dinner on church grounds.

Our Fellowship Hall was built in 1957 and dedicated on November 10th of that year. Our Sunday School classes became crowded, and we expanded by building a Christian Education Wing in 1967. Our congregation continued to increase, and a new sanctuary was built in 1981.


Our church has come a long way in fulfilling the hopes and dreams of that little band that met in the shady grove in 1893. They had faith that God would bless their efforts. The apostle Paul’s words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, seem to explain our past and provide us encouragement for the future.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58

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