 |
|
|
 |
||||
|
In New Bern, church-sponsored events attract community-wide interest. During the holidays, many churches conduct special concerts, plays and bazaars. Another staple of the town's holiday celebration is a full performance of Handel's Messiah by a community choir of hundreds of voices and soloists at Centenary United Methodist Church, usually around the time of Old Christmas in January. Musicians for the performance are members of the North Carolina Symphony. All major Protestant religions as well as the Catholic and Jewish faiths have long-established churches in New Bern. Check the Yellow Pages or the church directory in the Saturday edition of the Sun Journal for a list of local options. The parish of Christ Episcopal Church, which celebrated its 268th anniversary in 2008, is the oldest in New Bern and one of the oldest in North Carolina. The church, (252) 633-2109, is located at 320 Pollock Street. The current building was rebuilt in 1871–1885 after a fire gutted the c. 1821–1824 church. The church is noted not only for its Gothic Revival details but also its graveyard that still contains a number of eighteenth-century stone markers. First organized as a congregation in 1772, the current Centenary United Methodist Church, (252) 637-4181, was designed by Herbert Woodley Simpson and completed in 1905. Standing at the corner of New and Middle streets, Centenary features rounded walls and turrets that give it an almost Moorish look. The narrow Gothic Revival First Baptist Church, (252) 638-5691, was built in 1847, though its congregation was organized in 1809. The main entrance of the church is located at 239 Middle Street, next to the O. Marks building. The main sanctuary is strikingly simple and peaceful in its design. The Sunday service is televised by WCTI-TV 12. The oldest continually used church building in New Bern, First Presbyterian Church, (252) 637-3270, was built in 1819–22 by local architect and builder Uriah Sandy. The congregation was established in 1817. Located at 412 New Street, the church is surrounded by a cast-iron fence that dates from 1903. Although St. Paul's Catholic Church, (252) 638-1984, is the oldest Catholic parish in North Carolina, its current home on Country Club Road was constructed about 23 years ago. The church, which was expanded in 2004, features strikingly modern architecture and is in a large, park-like setting. Sharing the land is St. Paul's Education Center, a private school. St. Paul's first church was built on Middle Street in 1840. That building is open to the public during daylight hours. The stucco, neoclassical Temple B'Nai Sholem Synagogue, (252) 638-4545, is a beautiful, uncommon specimen of architecture in the area. A Herbert Woodley Simpson–designed structure, the synagogue was built on Middle Street in 1908 by the congregation, which was originally organized about 1824. Six historic black churches in
the New Bern area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
St. Peter's A.M.E. Zion, St. Cyprian's Episcopal
Church, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church,
Rue Chapel A.M.E. Church, St. John's Missionary Baptist
Church and First Missionary Baptist Church. |
New
Bern has a number of historic
churches that are open to residents and visitors who would like to tour
or attend services. In addition to the distinctive architectural styles
seen in many of the downtown churches, several have features that stand
out above the rest, such as the pipe organ at First Presbyterian Church
on New Street; the stained-glass windows in Centenary United Methodist
Church at Middle and New Streets; the gifts from King George II
displayed at Christ Episcopal Church on Pollock Street; and the graceful
white arches in First Baptist Church on Middle Street. All these
churches are within three blocks of one another. New Bern's oldest
churches are wonderful places to learn about the area's history, and you
can explore most of them while walking in the downtown area. (See our
|
|
|
