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Small churches - Big hearts....
Linden United Methodist Church, Linden, VA  was established in 1849.  In it's one
hundred and sixty years of history, the Linden church has experienced both hardships
and triumphs. We give God the glory for sustaining and blessing our church family
through the years. We remain grateful for the dedicated Christians of the Linden
community who came before us.

During a crucial time in our nation's history, the issue over slavery and states rights
caused  division between states, communities and also within the Church. In spite of
the tumultuous time, the Linden church began.

In  times of war, especially the Civil War and the two World Wars, both attendance and
membership experienced decline, bearing witness to the difficult times. Through
God's grace the Linden church prevailed.  

The housing for ministers who served the Linden church was acquired in 1895. The
church purchased a house owned by W.A. and Patti Hoffman for $200. The parsonage,
which  still serves the church today, has received many updates and repairs. One of
the earliest updates was the addition of electricity and indoor plumbing.

In November 1954, tragedy struck the Linden church. A fire thought to be the caused
by a faulty pipe in the wood burning stove, destroyed the beautiful 62 year old wooden
structure. It's  towering steeple and bell had long been an iconic landmark in the
community.

The Front Royal Fire Department courageously fought the blaze for four hours before
it was squelched. Several heroic men in the Linden community, including Rev. B. L.
Lock entered the burning building to salvage the church's antique pulpit, pews and
bible.  All were relics from a church building that had previously served the
congregation.

The fire revealed several graves beneath the church's stone foundation making it very
difficult to rebuild at the same site. Therefore, the congregation decided to relocate
the Linden church next to the parsonage, on the opposite side of Highway 55. In
December 1955, the ground breaking ceremony for the new Linden church at it's
current location took place. When completed, the new church was furnished with the
pulpit and pews that had been rescued from the flames. In celebration of Christ’s
Resurrection, the church holds their annual Easter Sunrise Service at the original
church location.

Linden United Methodist remains a loving supportive church family, ministering to the
needs in our community. Our future is strong as we continue to make disciples for
Jesus Christ, growing in membership and spirituality. Our vision and desire as a
church is to be God's salt, light and leaven for the world.

With open hearts, open minds and open doors, our church  invites you to join us in
worship of God, who is forever worthy of our praise.

Markham United Methodist Church, Markham, VA, was started at a time of healing and
reconstruction following the Civil War. It is difficult to imagine starting a church at such
a challenging time, but a devout group of Christians in the Markham village, fueled by a
spirit of restoration, did just that.

The original church building was located along Goose Creek in northwest Fauquier
County. After serving the congregation for many years, the Markham church was
destroyed by fire in 1981. At that time, the church lacked the funds to rebuild on the
existing property. Believing that God would provide, a faithful church family sought
other venues for a meeting house.  

A short distance from the original church site sat Goose Creek Primitive Baptist
Church.  The Goose Creek congregation held worship services in the church two
Sundays each month. Shortly after the fire, an agreement was reached between the
Markham Methodist and Goose Creek Primitive Baptist congregations to share the
building on alternate Sundays. In 1987 Markham United Methodist Church became a
joint owner of the historic church building. Since that time, Markham United Methodist
has made many repairs to the building, greatly contributing to the preservation of this
historic church.

The church building is a sturdy stone structure with 1 foot thick walls and tall paned
windows that frame the surrounding trees. The stone church, simple yet charismatic is
steeped in history. According to records,  construction of the stone church began about
1801 and was completed in 1805. During the Civil War the church was used as a
Confederate hospital and later became a horse stable for the Union army. Some years
following the end of the war, Congressional funding was used to repair damages
sustained to the building during it's use as an army stable.

In 1989, Markham United Methodist Church purchased the vacant Markham Middle
School circa 1910 which happened to be located next to the historic stone church.
After making repairs to the old schoolhouse the church began to use the building for
meetings, classes, a church office and select worship services.

Markham United Methodist Church meets in the stone church building every 2nd, 4th
and 5th Sunday and in the schoolhouse on the 1st and 3rd Sunday at 10:30 a.m.  

We are a loving, caring church family who loves the Lord and seeks to serve Him in
our daily lives. We are active in ministering to the needs in our community and support
several ministries and missions beyond our community's borders. Our church's desire
and vision is to be God's salt, light and leaven for the world.

With open hearts, open minds and open doors, we invite you to join us in worship of
God, who is forever worthy of our praise.
About  
Linden & Markham
United Methodist Churches
Our vision:  to be God's salt, light and leaven for the world.