Join Christ United Methodist Church Plano on Sunday, May 19 to celebrate 40 years in North Texas. The celebration will take place in all services (8:45 a.m., 9:45 a.m.; 11 a.m. sanctuary services and 11 a.m. IMPACT contemporary worship service). Lunch and fellowship in the Christian Life Center will be held after the 11 a.m. service.
40 Years of Worship
May 20, 1973 marked the opening service for CUMC Plano (the first United Methodist Church west of Interstate 75) with 107 adults and children in attendance at Sigler Elementary School. Two years later, CUMC completed construction on its first sanctuary on Glencliff Drive, where the congregation would worship until outgrowing the location. In 1991 the church purchased 14 acres for future expansion. The relocation of the church occurred in 1997 to the new property at Coit and Parker Road following Phase I Building completion. In 2010, the church finished the Phase 4 building of a new sanctuary and atrium. In the 40-year history, church membership has grown to more than 5,000 members.
A Missional Church
CUMC is a church committed to mission work. Even in the beginning when membership and financial resources were small, they found ways to serve the community. In 1976, CUMC’s Missions Committee backed its first foreign mission endeavor by donating a small amount of money to support Korean missionary work. Since then they have sent mission teams to numerous places, including Bolivia, Africa, Guatemala and Poland. The youth’s first APPA mission trip was to the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky in 1981. Locally, CUMC has been committed to serving Collin County and the surrounding area through programs such as Project Hope, House On The Corner, Family Promise, various food and clothing drives as well as projects that address homelessness.
Dedicated Leadership
CUMC has had only two senior ministers in its 40 year history. The first was Fred Kandeler, who was appointed to start the church in 1973, and worked tirelessly as the church grew to more than 2,000 members. Don Underwood was appointed as Sr. Minister in 1983, leading the church through the relocation to the current campus. Don gave his first sermon at CUMC, "The Right Place at The Right Time" on June 12, 1983. In addition to leading this large, missional church, Don has written a weekly column that is distributed around the world.
For more information about the programs of CUMC, visit www.cumc.com/inspire.
Featured Link
http://www.cumc.com