Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Church is gearing up to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Cokesbury College, the first Methodist college in the world on June 20.
The celebration will begin with worship on the lawn at 10:30 a.m. with featured speaker the Rev. Dr. Laurence Hull Stookey. Following the service, a box lunch will be served and Bonnie McCubbin will give her presentation, “Mystery Unearthed: Cokesbury College An Investigation into the History and Demise of the First Methodist College.” The discussion will focus on the mysterious circumstances of the fire that led to the total destruction of the college in 1795.
At 1 p.m., the afternoon festivities kick off with a circuit rider and Ken Steward as Francis Asbury, who will recreate the “foundation sermon” Bishop Asbury gave on June 5, 1785 at the site.
The Rev. Dennis Schulze will rededicate the college monument that was erected during his tenure as pastor of Cokesbury Memorial UMC at 2 p.m.. He will also discuss the excavation of the college site that he led in the late 1960s.
There also will be live music by the Lickety Split Banjo Boys and the church’s praise band, Joyful Noise.
Visitors also can tour the church and its grounds and view the famous Abingdon Bell, which will be making its way back to Abingdon from the Methodist archives at Lovely Lane especially for the celebration.
The free celebration will take place rain or shine. Please bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. The church is located at 1304 Abingdon Road, Abingdon, MD. For more information phone (410) 676-6295 or visit cokesburymemorial.org.
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