THE BIG PICTURE

The United Methodist Church is an 11-million-strong global church that opens hearts, opens doors and opens minds through active engagement with our world.  John Wesley and the early Methodists 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. We invite you to learn more about our rich theological heritage.

Whaley UMC (United Methodist Church) is just a small part of The United Methodist Church Universal.   We are a world-wide denomination with thousands of churches reaching from Texas to Africa and beyond.   You can visit www.umc.org to find out more about the United Methodist Church.

 

LOCALLY:
For over 125 years, Whaley has been part of the Gainesville community. 

1886 -started as a "Mission Church" by the United Methodist Church
1888 - Became The Broadway Methodist Church on S.E. corner of Broadway St.
and Grand Ave. (top photo)
1913 - Decision was made to build a new church on the N.W. corner of California St. and Grand Ave. (center image)
1916 - Whaley Memorial Methodist Church was dedicated (center photo).  It was named after James Osgood Whaley who served the church for many faithful years and died in August of 1909. 
1971 - The center dome of the church began to crumble, and it became unsafe to worship, so a proposal was made to build a new church.  The location was in question.

1973 - The existing church was built on 9 acres of land nestled in  a 'far' eastern part of Gainesville.  The land was donated by the Wilson family.  What a blessing.
No other church in the area has a campus like Whaley United Methodist Church. 
Check out the Campus Tour.
2000 - The congregation began working on "Philistine I and II", two projects that included the building of a half-mile walking path round the church to serve the community and a dome structure that serves as the Family Life Center.