THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 8, 1996 TAG: 9602070183
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Religion
SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
THE REV. ROBERT Vaughn, pastor of Providence and Woodland United Methodist churches, lives life in the fast lane.
On Sundays, and several times during the week, Vaughn travels U.S. 460 from his parsonage and pulpit at Providence in Suffolk to his second congregation at Woodland - in what Vaughn smilingly calls ``beautiful downtown Orbit.''
Throughout the week, he is on call as a volunteer emergency medical technician with both the Suffolk and Windsor rescue squads.
Since 1988, he has served as an adjunct professor at Randolph-Macon College, traveling to the Ashland campus once a week for a semester to teach a popular night class, ``Sexuality and Religion.'' This year, Vaughn has time off from the class to complete the dissertation for his doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
When Vaughn and his wife, Bane, accepted their assignment to the Providence-Woodland Charge, it was their fourth United Methodist appointment. Today, after five years with the congregations, they feel at home. ``This is a great place to be,'' Vaughn said. ``Both churches are full of wonderful people.''
Providence is strategically located at the intersection of Providence Road and the busy 460 thoroughfare. With the housing boom taking place in this corridor of Suffolk, the congregation has experienced a steady influx of members over the past five years.
``We have an increasingly large number of young adults and couples with young children,'' Vaughn noted. ``When I came to the church, there might be three or four children at a service, but now there may be 20 to 30 on a Sunday.''
Vaughn describes his Providence membership as ``historically stable, small and family oriented . . . but open to newcomers, embracing them with opened arms and hearts.''
Providence traces its roots to 1827 and a camp meeting held off Pitchkettle Road. The church served as a hospital and livery stable during a period of the Civil War. After the war, the Federal Government granted the church funds for renovations for ``damages that the horses may have caused.''
Building upon its rich heritage, Providence recently has taken a step of faith for the future with long-range plans for a three-part building project. Groundbreaking for the first phase will be Feb. 11. It will include a 1,600- square-foot addition, including administrative offices, choir room, a parlor, classrooms and handicapped-accessible restrooms.
Vaughn said the church plans to ``build in a way that's coordinated with our present facility, preserving the past and at the same time preparing for future growth.''
Woodland, in the heart of rural Orbit, ``is a wonderful bunch of folks,'' Vaughn said. Many members are involved in agriculture, and others are in such helping professions as nursing and teaching.
Vaughn said Woodland's congregation is very mission-minded, and members support both local missions, such as the Isle of Wight Food Pantry and Christian Outreach Organization, as well as denominational mission services.
Another strong point of the Woodland Church is its emphasis on education.
``They have an unusually strong church school with an average weekly attendance of 75,'' Vaughn noted. The church also encourages its high school graduates to further their education with a generous scholarship fund.
``The church is very family connected,'' Vaughn pointed out. Founded in 1871 as a merger of smaller churches - both Methodists and other Protestant denominations - it became part of the Providence-Woodland United Methodist Charge in 1954.
While the church is in Orbit, its membership is a mix of people from Smithfield, Windsor and western Isle of Wight County.
To complement its active weekly music program, Woodland also sponsors childrens' activities and youth events throughout the year. And twice a year, the pastor leads a five-week Bible Study/Breakfast on Sunday mornings at 8:15 a.m.
Vaughn said of his two churches: ``It's my hope that we keep open to where God wants to lead us, and that we continue to expand the horizons and vision of what God wants us to be.''
Looking to the future, he expressed optimism: ``I hope they continue to use all the wonderful gifts God's given them and use them to God's glory.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
The Rev. Robert Vaughn serves both Providence United Methodist in
Suffolk and Woodland UMC in Orbit.
AT A GLANCE
Providence United Methodist Church
U.S. 460 and Providence Road, Suffolk
Established 1827
Average weekly attendance 135
Services: Sunday - 10 a.m., Church School; 11 a.m., worship;
Wednesday - 7 p.m., Children's choir; 7:30 p.m., Adult choir,
directed by Barbara Bosselman
Phone: 539-7163
Woodland United Methodist Church
Orbit Road and Woodland Road, Windsor
Established: 1871; 1954, part of Providence-Woodland Charge
Average weekly attendance: 55
Services: Sunday - 9:30 a.m., worship; 10:45 a.m., Church School;
Thursday - 6:30 p.m., Children's Choir; 7 p.m., Adult Choir,
directed by Delores Steinert
by CNB