CARY – Apex United Methodist Church’s long reach into the community has just stretched a little farther.
More than 600 worshippers showed up Sunday for the opening services of 519 Church at Carpenter Elementary School.
The church, named after the rapidly growing area of zip code 27519 in west Cary, becomes the third off-site church connected to Apex UMC. It joins Peak United Methodist and Fiesta Cristinia, both located in Apex.
Pastor Owen Barrow said 519’s two Sunday morning services were a wonderful experience.
“Both were standing room only,” said Barrow. “There was tons of energy and excitement. It was a great morning all the way around.”
Barrow, who served as associate pastor at Apex UMC for nearly six years, said a great deal of “plotting and planning” occurred in the last year in preparation for the new church.
“It’s very exciting that we are finally (open),” said Barrow.
Much of the planning centered around discussions on what people hope for in a church. The conclusion was to create a place that would reflect church members’ strong faith on a daily basis.
“All of us want our faith to matter to us every day, not just during Sunday service,” said Barrow. “Jesus compelled people to love well and that is our aim. We don’t want our church to be just a place where we meet once a week. Our goal is to love well and live differently every day.”
Church members already showed their compassion months before the church opened. The 519 Church Hearts for Haiti 5K was held in Cary and raised $7,519.
Barrow said it was never the intention to begin 519 as a way to fill a void in the community. It was, rather, a way to share an important message of faith.
“We like to joke that there are as many churches around here as there are pharmacies,” laughed Barrow. “Once you see a Rite Aid open you know a CVS will open right across the street. So we aren’t necessarily meeting a deficit and we certainly aren’t in a competition. We just want to add our voice to the conservation and we hope it is compelling to other people.”
For more information visit www.519church.org.
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