‘Mission work comes first’

The oldest house in Palmyra faces the Delaware River at the foot of Cinnaminson Avenue, a few hundred yards from Berkley’s Pier, where supply ships from Philadelphia and a passenger ferry would dock.

Built in 1761, before the Revolutionary War, it was the longtime home of the Toy family. In 1840, Isaiah Toy hosted the first meeting of Methodists for area residents. His sister, Julia Toy, was a Methodist missionary in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

This certainly accounted for the borough being given “the name Palmyra about 1849, in honor of the missionary,” according to the Riverton Historical Society.

As the Methodist community grew in Palmyra, Riverton and Cinnaminson, a decision was made by the 40-member congregation to build a church. In September, 1854, a large crowd watched the Rev. C.K. Fleming dedicated the new structure at Broad Street and Cinnaminson Avenue – which is now the Palmyra Borough Hall.

As the community grew in the late 19th century, church leaders decided they had outgrown the original building and purchased land at Fifth Street and Morgan Avenue. On Sept. 10, 1893, Bishop Willard Francis Mallalieu dedicated the Epworth United Methodist Church (EUMC), whose core mission was to serve the vulnerable, healing and promoting justice.

For nearly 200 years, congregants have reached out to those suffering, provided a home for local organizations and spoke out on civil rights. Today, the church complex includes the Bread of Life Food Pantry and a downstairs gym that serves as an indoor pickleball court. In the 1970s, it was a basketball court and the meeting place for Boy Scout Troop 9.

“I came here two and one half years ago,” said Pastor Rachel Callender, who was happy about the turnout of 34 volunteers at EUMC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event on the morning of Jan. 19. “I absolutely love it. The people are so welcoming.

“It’s amazing to see people not be stopped by the snow,” Callender added, “taking what probably was a day off for them to help their neighbors and community. They recognize that the mission work comes first.”

Callender served as the pastor of the Medford United Methodist Church before coming to Palmyra. She and her husband Matthew recently celebrated the birth of a child, and the congregants were very supportive of “our growing family,” Callender said.

“This is our first MLK Day of Service,” she continued, adding that it was the brainchild of the newly formed Outreach Committee. “Thirty-four people are helping out. It is already considered successful.”

The volunteers were busy stocking the church pantry, making 455 utensil packets for the Cathedral Kitchen in Camden, putting together craft packets for the Cinnaminson library and writing Valentine’s Day cards to senior citizens. Director Ed Minnix was thrilled with the efforts of Jamie and Ryan Pollard; Julianne Scheffler; Courtney Craig; and young volunteers Justin, Makenzie and Benny, who stocked shelves with non-perishable food items.

“We feed an average of 150 to 175 people every month,” Minnix noted. “We served more than 200 families in November and December.”

The pantry serves area residents on the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It was established as a ministry of EUMC in cooperation with other houses of worship in the area, and primarily serves those in need of food in the Tri-Boro area of Palmyra, Cinnaminson and Riverton.

No one is ever turned away.

Callender said other programs at the church include the Prayer Shawl ministry and the United Women in Faith, who do a lot of senior citizen projects in the three towns to help the elderly.

The MLK Day of Service was advertised as “a day on, not a day off” to honor King’s legacy through service. At the historic Epworth United Methodist Church on Jan. 19, the day of service continued a tradition started by Isaiah Toy in 1840.