In the early 1920’s, Tennerton was a small community of twenty or less. There was no church in the community and no bridge to cross the Buckhannon river; however, not allowing a small river to stop them from attending church, the good people of Tennerton crossed the river by boat and walked to the Mt Hope church until a new church was built.
In the Fall of 1922, a public meeting was held to make plans to build a new church in the Tennerton community. Since there were more Methodist attending this meeting, it was decided the church should be called the Tennerton Methodist Episcopal Church.
On January 15, 1923, a deed for two lots were presented to the trustees of the new Tennerton Methodist Episcopal Church. the new church was built on these lots. The first service was held in the new church on August 19, 1923, with 54 people in attendance.
In 100 years, the Tennerton Church has had 31 different preachers. Some were here for a 1 year or 2, some was here for 4 or 5 years; Pastor William Eskew served the church the longest, serving our church for 15 years from 1975-1990.
As a church, like our own personal lives, we have had many members and we have had only a few; we had good times and bad times and we have had our gains and losses. Nevertheless, we still come together every Sunday morning to worship our Lord & Savior.
CHURCH ADDITIONS
Our church started out with just a small sanctuary and a vestibule. However, in the early summer of 1935, members and friends of the church joined together and built a basement. On August 25, 1935, a railing for the steps were added and in December 1935 chairs were purchased for the basement.
Other additions that were made to the Tennerton Church: In 1963, an education wing (bathrooms, office, and 5 classrooms), and in 1983, a bigger parking lot was added because the church was booming. Our last big project was in 1986, when an addition was added on to move choir to their own spot behind the pulpit. In addition, other small projects like siding, changing the steeple, a new ramp for handicap to get to basement, a handicap ramp added to get into main church, buying the house behind to make a rental home (for over 20 years), and to tearing down rental home for future projects.
OUR CHURCH
Our church works together to praise God, to bring his love from our church out into the world, and we try our best to live a Christian life in and out of the church. We help our community from the Parish house/Crosslines; to our state with flood buckets; Rosenbaum House in Morgantown; the Burlington Youth Festival; UMCORE; C.O.M.E.; Women United; Christian Golfers and adopting a child overseas for 25 plus years. This church is a small country church that wants to change the world to be Christlike.
Join us and help us to praise God, to bring his love from our church out into the world, and help us to live a Christian life in and out of the church. Help us not only to grow our church, but to grow our community and help those in need within our church, our community, our state, and the world. We invite you to be a part of the family of the Tennerton United Methodist Church.