History of Raleigh Court UMC

History of Raleigh Court UMC

Raleigh Court United Methodist Church has been a constant, active presence in the community since 1920.

RCUMC Building, ~1925
Front of Raleigh Court United Methodist Church building.

Raleigh Court United Methodist Church began around 1920 in what is now the Grandin Village area. The first church meetings were held in the old Masonic Hall, currently an architect’s office, next to Reid’s Fine Furniture. The congregation grew and was able to build a sanctuary on the corner of Windsor and Grandin Roads in 1924. Growth was rapid and an education building was added shortly after the sanctuary. We still occupy these buildings. Many of our first members were employees of the railroad, then called Norfolk & Western. The church grew as more and more homes were built in the Raleigh Court neighborhood.

In 1959 the church added a new kitchen and social hall. In 1999, the sanctuary was renovated adding a new entrance/gathering area and an elevator. At that time wiring and other infrastructure items were replaced.  Improvements continue to be made to the building with new windows installed in 2013 and a renovation of our Moller pipe organ in 2014.  The congregation of the church is still mostly from the surrounding Raleigh Court neighborhood, but there are also many members that travel to the church from other parts of Roanoke County.