History

With an earnest desire to worship God and to establish a place of worship by and for African Americans and for the community at large, sixteen inspired men and women in Troy formed the original membership of the Richards Chapel Methodist Church in 1877. The charter members were: Dicie Cox Anderson, Eli Coble, Anna N. Cox, John and Julia Downs, George and Caroline Green, John and Martha Letcher, Du Newman, Williams Shutt, Edward Taylor, Margaret Turner, and James and Chloe Williams. 

A hall in the Dye Building on the Public Square was their first meeting place with the initial worship service taking place in March 1877. After six months they moved to Sharp’s Carpenter Shop on West Franklin Street which was known as Mulberry Street at the time. They held several business meetings to formulate plans to set up a permanent building for worship. 

The congregation purchased a lot on the corner of Franklin and Elm Street as the site for their first permanent church building which was completed in 1879. In honor of Rev. Richards assistance and commitment to the congregation in the erection of its first building, it was named Richards Chapel Methodist Church.

The congregation worshipped in the building on Elm Street until 1956 at which time the aging building was condemned as unsafe to use as a public meeting place.  The official board of the church decided to build a new structure and begun to work strategically toward building a new edifice.  Plans to raise money to purchase new land began in April 1956 and within six months $6,000 was raised among the membership with property purchased on McKaig Ave. at the price of $9,000.00. On Friday, October 11th, 1957, during the pastorate of the Reverend Cornelius Williams, the groundbreaking service for the new building was held.

The cornerstone was laid in a service held on Sunday, December 22, 1957 and within a year the new building was completed. 

The membership of 75 struggled under a heavy mortgage for eight years. Thanks to the Lexington Conference Board of Missions, the Division of National Missions of the Board of missions of the Methodist Church, The First United Methodist Church of Troy, the Tipp City United Methodist Church, friends, a generous contribution from Mr. and Mrs. Perlema W. Sewell and faithful pledges from other members of the church, the debt was liquidated, and the mortgage burned in 1964. 

Due to the demand for more adequate space to conduct educational programs, the church decided to construct an education wing onto the existing building. Ground was broken for the new addition in 1972 and the addition was first occupied in the Fall of 1973. The Rev. Evans L. Porter gave pastoral leadership during this period of expansion.

When the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist-Episcopal Church merged on April 23, 1968, Richards Chapel was one of many Methodist churches that became part of the newly formed United Methodist Church, which is deeply rooted in the Methodist movement started by John and Charles Wesley.

Since that time, the church has had 19 pastors, all of which contributed to the church’s growth and integration into the community.

Also functioning as outreach ministry since 2005 is a free lunch program operating four days each week.  The goal is to provide a hot meal to the community and to provide them with social interaction as well as words of encouragement to lift their spirits.

Under the current leadership of Pastor Kima Cunningham, the church’s educational wing has been renovated by the membership to provide a variety of classes and gathering spaces to meet the needs of the members and the community.  

The church has accomplished the following:

• Received a grant from the Miami Valley district to fund Groundbreakers Ministry which is serving the young people in the neighborhood.  

• Renovated four classrooms in the fellowship hall with new paint, window dressing and new furnishings.  Hosted a painting class and a craft class where more than 25 young people were served. 

• Collaborated with Lincoln Community Center and OSU Extension to hold a cooking class on Fridays for six weeks.  The young people (middle school to high school age) learned the proper ways to prepare and cook healthy meals.  At graduation, they prepared a dinner for their families and friends.

• “Real Talk” bible study was hosted on Wednesday evening working on a series of topics.  Rebranded as “Pause with the Pastor”, we continue to work on various aspects of Christian discipleship. 

• Hosted the first M. L.  King Assassination Commemoration service in our City.  Pastor Kima Cunningham has taken the lead as Chair of the MLK Planning Team working on the King holiday and subsequent events honoring King’s idea of the “beloved community.”

• Held our first Community Musical and Teaching/Preaching Revival.

Held our second Teaching/Preaching Revival and our second Family & Friends Day with our first community music workshop and concert.  

• Girl Scout Troop #2075 has been established and meets weekly at the church.  

• The church has established partnerships with Lincoln Community Center and Heywood Elementary School to work with children in teens in the community in a variety of programs.  The church has just completed a grant with the West Ohio Conference to serve teen mothers through a program called Intentional Moms.  

Excited about the possibilities God has set in front of us.  This church is growing with 23 new members in the last three years and 14 in the last quarter of 2022, not just numerically, but spiritually and is preparing itself to be the light and the force of God in this critical season!