In November 2006, Central United Methodist Church and Haywood Street United Methodist Church merged, creating two campuses under the name of Central United Methodist Church. CUMC made the commitment to maintain the historic Haywood Street Church building and use the Haywood Street Campus for mission-oriented activity.
In 2009, Rev. Brian Combs came to Asheville. Understanding his call to be in ministry with folks on the margins, Rev. Combs spent his first four months here in the soup line and under the bridge, staying overnight at the shelter, loitering downtown with an ear bent towards the cracks of poverty, always listening for the voice of Jesus among the disinherited. And what he heard was, “Offer me a congregation of absurd grace, a meal of scandalous abundance, a kingdom glance of heaven on earth.”
And so began the Haywood Street Congregation.
CUMC offered space for the new ministry on its Haywood Street Campus, and many CUMC members lent time and talent toward developing it. Haywood Street Congregation was formally established as a UMC mission congregation in Spring 2010. CUMC continues to be its most significant ministry partner.
There are many opportunities for involvement at Haywood Street Congregation, with the church’s core programs:
