Often it is harsh and cruel. It is easy to feel lost, broken, out of place and overwhelmed. If you are hungering and thirsting for a food and drink that satisfies the soul, you will find it at Union United Methodist Church. Union is a family of faith bound together by its common need for mercy, grace and forgiveness. Regardless of who you are, where you are from -- whether you are single, married, divorced, young, middle aged or older – have a life filled with success or one riddled with failure, you are welcome in this congregation just as you are.

Through worship offerings and countless programs for all ages, you will hear and experience the grace (God’s loving forgiveness) at Union and find the spiritual tools of faith. You will also find the spiritual, emotional and social support you need. You will experience the risen Christ here among God’s Easter people.

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Those at Union have found that to be true and we wish to share it with you. Don’t bother ringing the door bell. The door is open. So again, come – “come just as you are.” You will find yourself welcome and you will find peace and rest for your soul.

We invite you to browse through our website and if you have any questions, please give us a call at (803) 781-3013. Come join us at Union!


Pastor William H. (Buddy) Phillips

		Pastors The Rev. Dr. William H. (Buddy) Phillips, Senior Pastor The Rev. Joel W. McMakin, Associate Minister for Young Adult Ministry Worship Times 8:30 & 10:45 a.m. Sundays - Traditional Worship in the sanctuary 10:45 a.m. Sundays - Contemporary Worship in the chapel 10:45 a.m. Sundays - Children's Church (ages 3-5K and grades 1-3) 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays – Informal Worship in the chapel Nursery provided for all Sunday services. All nursery workers follow a Safe Sanctuary Policy. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sundays for all ages; nursery provided. Location 7582 Woodrow Street, Irmo, South Carolina 29063 Directions From I-26, take exit 102A to merge onto Lake Murray Blvd/SC-60 toward Irmo. Continue to follow Lake Murray Blvd/SC-60 for 1.4 miles. Turn right at Woodrow Street before the railroad. Union is 0.3 miles on the right. Parking Parking is available to all members and visitors around the church campus. Parking lots are located in front of the sanctuary, beside the chapel, and behind the sanctuary and Wesley Center. There are designated visitor parking spaces in front of the Education Building. Members 2,745 total membership with an average Sunday School attendance of 530 and average worship attendance of 872. Facilities The present sanctuary was built in 1991 and features a 48-rank Zimmer Pipe Organ and a Yamaha Concert Piano. The Chapel was built in 1965 and has been updated with lights, sound, stage and chairs to house the contemporary worship service. Additional facilities include numerous meeting rooms, fellowship hall and gym. Church campus Church Offices Open 8 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday; 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday Offices are located in the lower level of the sanctuary building with access in the rear of the building. Telephone: (803) 781-3013 Handicap Yes, all buildings are handicapped accessible. An elevator is located in the lower level of the sanctuary building. Trend Continued growth every month with new members through transfer from other churches/denominations and baptisms. Ministries We offer multiple ways you can get involved at Union through our various ministries. We invite you to learn more about these opportunities under the Ministries tab. Our church has and follows a Safe Sanctuary Policy for children and youth. The Web Please click on the Church News tab for daily information and news about Union. You will also find a fascinating blend of national and world news, stories about life and living, humor, entertainment and community information on the other news tabs.  It’s all the best news on the web – all in one place – and downright fun to read!

John Wesley and the early Methodists were particularly concerned about inviting people to experience God’s grace and to grow in their knowledge and love of God through disciplined Christian living. They placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.

	Learn How We Share A Common Heritage With All Christians
	Learn about The Essentials Of A Christian Life
	Learn about The Hallmarks Of The United Methodist Theological Traditions
	Learn about The “Standards” Of Doctrine For United Methodists

We invite you to learn more about United Methodists by visiting these websites:

	The official website of The United Methodist Church
	South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

 
Union United Methodist Church had its beginnings in 1857 in a one-room log building built on land at the corner of the current Wescot and Nursery Hill Roads. There were few if any roads and no bridges over the nearby Broad and Saluda Rivers. Yet, in their quest to worship God together, people walked, rode on horseback or traveled by wagon to this little log building called Kennerly Chapel on the Lexington Circuit (Methodist).

In 1869 Preston C. Lorick donated a three-acre tract of land on which to build a church “for divine services forever.” The deed was recorded “for a fee of $10 and brotherly love.” A one-room frame structure was erected, and Kennerly Chapel became Union Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church South, Lexington Circuit. This tract of land remains part of Union’s present site. No record has been found as to how long this little brown church (so named because the unpainted boards turned dark) remained. It was torn down and a small white-painted church with clear glass gothic windows was built on the same spot. This spot is the site of Union’s present chapel. Above the front entry was a bell tower which is in our present chapel’s steeple.

As Union Chapel and other area congregations grew, the Lexington Fork Circuit was formed in 1876 and then became the Irmo Charge in 1915. Union, Salem and Shady Grove were a three-point charge in 1924 and are still active members of the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. After being part of a circuit for more than a century, Union Chapel became a station church, Union Methodist Church, in 1962 with a membership of 188. In 1968, as a result of the merger between the Methodists and Evangelical United Brethren denominations, the name of Union changed one last time to Union United Methodist Church.

The Irmo area turned rapidly into neighborhoods, expanding school districts and industrial parks, and Union’s membership almost quadrupled in less than ten years –  to 735 in 1971. Thus, Union began to build new and additional facilities along with purchasing in 1972 almost ten acres of adjoining land. Union’s current chapel and part of the education building were completed in 1965 and Wesley Center (gym) in 1974. On Christmas Eve, 1991, the first services were held in our current sanctuary. Union’s membership numbered 2,444 at that time.

As Union continues growing into the future, we celebrate our heritage and affirm that God has been “our help in ages past” and is “our hope for years to come.”

Source:  A History of Union United Methodist Church
Irmo, South Carolina, March 1979

There are numerous prayer groups, Bible studies, men’s and women’s meetings, and other programs that occur every week. Please check our church calendar for a complete listing of weekly programs.

	SUNDAY
	8:30 & 10:45 a.m.	Traditional Worship Services
	10:45 a.m.	Contemporary Worship
	9:30 a.m.	Sunday School For adults, youth & children age 2 and up Click here for listing of classes, brief description, ages, and where they meet
	4:15 – 4:45 p.m.	Angel Choir (3-year-olds) Joy Choir (4- & 5-year-olds)
	4:15 – 5 p.m.	Carol Choir (grades 1 & 2) Sonshine Choir (grades 3 - 5)
	5 – 6 p.m.	Union Singers (Youth) Adult Handbells
	6 – 7:30 p.m.	United Methodist Youth (grades 6-12)

	TUESDAY
	6 p.m.	Fellowship Time
	6:30 – 7:15 p.m.	Informal worship service in the chapel

	WEDNESDAY
	6 – 8 p.m.	United Methodist Youth (grades 6 – 10)
	7 - 8 p.m.	United Methodist Youth (small groups, grades 11 & 12)
	6:30 – 7:15 p.m.	Spirited Singers (age 50+)
	7:30 – 9 p.m.	Chancel Choir

Welcome to Irmo! Union United Methodist Church is located in the center of town, in a community in the center of our state. Our community is home to every amenity you’d expect of a major metropolitan area, not to mention spectacular 50,000-acre Lake Murray, and just a few miles from the state capital, Columbia. We’re also just a couple of hours from South Carolina’s world-famous beaches and the serenity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Getting to either area is no problem. Three interstate highways intersect here – I-20, I-26 and I-77, with I-85 and I-95 just an hour’s drive away.

More than 583,000 people call this area their home, a number expected to increase to 650,000 by the year 2010, and on one million by 2025. The town of Irmo has more than 12,000 residents.

Want to know more? Call the church office at 803.781.3013.