Westwoods Methodist Church

Methodist worship in this area began to take shape in the spring of 1779, when Methodist pioneer Freeborn Garrettson brought his faith to local people and helped inspire the formation of numerous societies or classes. Because the nearest organized church was far away, meetings were often held in private homes. Around 1880, local residents began holding services in the Good Hope School House, and soon afterward they conducted open-air woods or bush meetings nearby, later establishing a camp meeting ground. In 1892, fifty-eight youth were baptized at Westwoods Camp in a single day. Although these meetings drew strong attendance, they ended in the mid-1890s when the services were merged with those at nearby churches. In 1890, the congregation began building a church, and on March 23, 1891, trustees were elected and Joshua G. West conveyed the church land to them. The building was completed later that year. Affiliated with the Gumboro Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, the church was named Westwoods for its wooded surroundings and in honor of Joshua G. West and other members of his family who were instrumental in its creation and growth.

Delaware · United States