Jones United Methodist Church
MonValley District
333 Green St Morgantown, WV 26501

A small, diverse congregation in the Greenmont section of Morgantown. We are a Welcoming Congregation.

Jones United Methodist church is a small, diverse congregation in the Greenmont section of Morgantown. Jones Chapel, now Jones United Methodist church came into being shortly after West Virginia was born cutting itself away from Virginia June 20, 1863.  At this time blacks in Morgantown were allowed to mix with whites in the balcony of a downtown church for services. Then a Methodist Bishop arrived and asked blacks to leave. Thus, Jones Chapel came into being.

Organized by John Edwards and others, Jones Chapel’s deed was made in February 23,1869 when they bought a piece of property on Chestnut Street from George and Mary Kiger.  Jones Church has been involved in educational and cultural programs for the black community since the time of its founding, which coincided with the emphasis being placed by the Methodist Episcopal church on the Freedman’s Aid Society in 1866, according to the church history. In 1939 the church was known as Jones Methodist Episcopal Church. At that time a unification took place between the Methodist Episcopal, the Methodist Protestant and the Methodist Episcopal South which brought together all these bodies under the name of the Methodist Church. In 1965 Jones became part of the West Virginia Annual Conference.

In 1965, under the leadership of Rev. Homer Davis, the structure on Chestnut street was sold. 1966 the current property at 333 Green Street was purchased. Jones became known as Jones United Methodist Church since the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Church. In the first year, the plan was to build a new sanctuary on the lot that would be powered by solar panels, a plan developed by parishioner. After raising funds for a period, ground was broken in 1980 on the new sanctuary. Due to inadequate funding, the new addition took some time. The proposed plans for a sanctuary under the Rev. Steven Swecker became reality under the leadership of Rev. Steven Runnion. The sanctuary was completed and finally opened in 1988.

Pastors serving Jones include: The Revs. Tittle, Cummings, John Peter, Nathaniel Minor, Johnson, Grant, Sowyers, Coleman, Green, Artler, Taylor, Washington, Diggs, Clifford, Lawrence, Homer Davis, R.C. Browning, Lowell Parham, Martha Lloyd, Arnold Husk, Steven Swecker, Elizabeth Villinger, Steven Runnion, Keith Simmons, Jeremiah Jasper, Charles May and Stephen Prince.

Jones UMC has provided outreach to the greater Morgantown community over its history, currently providing meeting space for two different support groups as well as reaching out through Scott’s Run Settlement House and through a well-attended Vacation Bible School that feeds the children both spiritually and nutritionally; the congregation’s members are fed spiritually by the annual event and are quite proud of the event. Jones UMC continues to serve the spiritual needs of all who enter the sanctuary, regardless of their appearance.