Our History

In 1963 and 1964, a religious census of the town of South Burlington showed there were over 200 families in the area interested in a Methodist church. Troy Annual Conference responded by appointing the Rev. Sherwood E. Carver as pastor of the new church. The conference also purchased a parsonage and a 5 1/2 acre site on Dorset Street, current site of Faith United Methodist Church. Then the work began: locating the people and organizing the new church.

In September 1965 the new congregation began worshiping in the auditorium of South Burlington High School and on December 5, 1965, 111 people became the first members of the new church and voted on the name Faith Methodist Church. (Three years later the Methodist Church nationally merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to become the United Methodist Church, thus we are now Faith United Methodist Church.)

A committee began work to plan a building and funds were raised for construction. The congregation worshiped in the new building for the first time on Christmas Eve 1969, with the construction work not yet completed. In fact, workers stayed overtime that evening to hang the cross in time for the service.

Following the consecration of the church building in May of 1970, other congregations and faiths in the community have and continue to worship in Faith’s facility, including Temple Sinai, from 1971 – 1985 and again in 1998, and Korean American congregations from 1991 – present.

This was Phase I, the sanctuary, classrooms and offices. The master plan envisioned Phase II, expanded educational space and a fellowship hall as well as Phase III, a new sanctuary.

By January 1994 the congregation had clearly outgrown the original space and discussions began on Phase II.

Ground was broken for the new addition on May 9, 1999, after five years of planning, neighborhood “listening groups,” and much fund raising. A generous bequest from Myra and Howard Brand, sister and brother living on the Brand Farm property across Dorset Street, enabled the project to get underway. Formal dedication of the new facility took place as part of the celebration in December 2000 of 35 years of ministry by the people of Faith United Methodist Church.