On June 28, 1956, The Reverend G. Robert McKenzie was appointed Pastor of this dream church. He, along with Duke Divinity School intern, Bill Lowdermilk, pounded the streets of the village surveying the community as to the interest in establishing a church and enlisting the help and support of residents to begin this new venture. The first worship service for the new LaFayette Village Church was held on September 9, 1956 in an abandoned store located at the corner of Hope Mills and Banyan Roads with 29 charter members. Nineteen more charter members were added to the membership during the remainder of the first year. The church was named Saint Matthew's after Rev. McKenzie's favorite disciple.

The remaining years of the 1950's were a time of wonderful growth for the church family. Methodist Youth Fellowship, Women's Society of Christian Service, and Methodist Men were chartered, and numbers increased from 45 in membership and 69 in Sunday School during the Conference year 1956-57 to 165 in membership and 179 in Sunday School during the Conference year 1960-61.

When asked "What were those early days like and what attracted you to this new church, a charter member said: "The idea of a neighborhood church delighted our family and the early days in the storefront church brought a close, friendly atmosphere to worship. The houses on the lot were used for Sunday School classes for the younger children and curtains separated the storefront building, and opened to provide space for the worship service. Picnics on the grounds were a favorite with the memory of children cimbing the chinaberry trees in the yard and, in mischief, raining the ripe berries dowm on the adults below.

One of the earliest business meetings of the newly-established Saint Matthew’s Church was held on December 6, 1956 to discuss the church budget for the next seven months (through June, 1957). The total budget included:

• 350.00 Rent on store front building;
• 266.00 Payment on the parsonage (38.00 per month)
• 90.00 Payment to Methodist Publishing House (15.00 per month)
• 55.00 Payment to Curiie Coal Company
• 100.00 Equipment and expense of church operation
• 39.00 Supplies, postage, etc.
• 500.00 Furnishings for parsonage
• TOTAL: $1,400.00

Robert McKenzie presented an outline of how the church might reach this goal: if each of the church members would pledge the cost of a Coke (5 cents) and a pack of cigarettes (20 cents) a day to the church, in six months that would total $1,365. The balance would be obtained by collections and new members. The pastor recommended that a budget of $1,365 be adopted. A motion was made to adopt a budget for the next seven months of $1,400. It was adopted by a unanimous vote.

The rapidly growing congregation quickly outgrew the storefront sanctuary and in January, 1960, a Building Committee composed of Perry Smith, chairman, Lyle Spidle, J.E. Meckling, and Martin Rasmussen began the task of planning for a new sanctuary. A Groundbreaking Service was held on February 25,1960 with Bishop Paul Neff Garber, M.C. Dunn, Fayetteville District Superintendent, O.L. Hathaway, and local officials participating. The first worship service in the new sanctuary was held on March 26, 1961.

The sixties distinguished Saint Matthew's as the fastest growing Methodist Church in the fastest growing county in North Carolina. By this time, a vital program of Christian Education was in place to include a growing church school, a Junior and Senior High MYF, two Children's Choirs, an annual Vacation Bible School and Summer Day Camp program at Camp Rockfish, and a Cub Pack, a Scout Troop, and an Explorer Post. Today, Saint Matthew's is recognized as the longest consistent church sponsor of Boy Scouting in Fayetteville, and one of our own, John Cabeza, who progressed through Saint Matthew’s Scouting ranks as a youth is now a Scouting District Executive in Louisiana.

This period of church history also brought new challenges to the congregation. In order to meet the challenges of our growing community and to meet more effectively the needs of our children, youth, and adults, it became imperative to build an Educational and Administrative Wing to the church. By 1967, the church membership had more than doubled and Saint Matthew's had only one-third of the space needed for Sunday School.

As with previous dream, the congregation accepted the challenge of selling $150,000 in Church Bonds which enabled them to retire the indebtedness on the Sanctuary and move forward with the building of an Educational Building. On June 2,1968 Groundbreaking Services for the new building were held. Another important milestone was the purchase of a new parsonage at 893 Stoneykirk Drive and three houses directly behind the church on Eucalyptus Street.

The seventies and eighties found the church growing and facing the new challenges associated with growth. Youth programs were a major emphasis and during this time, Saint Matthew's hosted Duke Divinity School interns Rick Dake and David Thompson as a part of the church staff.

An important event in this period of history is the establishment of the Thrift Shop in 1980, which also started as a dream. Through the years, the Thrift Shop has become a major mission outreach of the church. Staffed entirely by the women and men of the church the Thrift Shop is housed in the storefront building where Saint Matthew's began its worship services. This mission offers to the community an opportunity to purchase clothing and household items at a reduced rate, with the proceeds being used to fund local and world mission projects. Many times since its establishment, the Thrift Shop has been a generous supporter of projects within the local church, thus enabling Saint Matthew's to extend and improve its ministry and mission. At the 1992 Homecoming, we celebrated the burning of the parsonage mortgage note, thanks in part to a generous payment of that note by the Thrift Shop.

Churches tend to develop characterists as they grow and establish themselves. Saint Matthew's has many wonderful characteristics, but perhaps the one most appreciated is our sense of mission-mindedness.

Through the years, Saint Matthew’s has been a part of significant mission support to such varied causes as the Harker’s Island Fund to assist local fishermen affected by the freezing winter of 1989, the North Carolina Conference's Mission to Armenia, continuing support of the Joint Security Force for Joint Task Force Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base near Comayaqua, Honduras (a project, brought to our attention by one of our members, Major Jay Steinke, which supports both an orphanage and school with over 400 students and another mountain school with 19 students), collecting Bibles to be distributed by Chaplains at Duke Medical Center, a Local Emergency Fund, and Food Pantry.

Countless other mission projects, at home and abroad, are supported by our UMW Circles, United Methodist Men, and Junior and Senior United Methodist Youth. Ihe Ruth/Ethel Smith Circle has received numerous recognitions by the Cumberland County Mental Health for their continuous support of projects within this agency, the Night Owl Circle sponsors a "Mission A Month" project throughout the year, our United Methodist Men are generous in their support of Boy Scouting and projects to enhance the mission of the church at home, and our United Methodist Youth participated in a Hinton Rural Life Center work team experience in the mountains of North Carolina during the summer of 1993.

When South Florida experienced the devastating blow of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Saint Matthew's sent two Able Plumbing Company trucks to Homestead filled with bottled water, food supplies, and fun items for children such as crayons and coloring books the day after the hurricane struck. Then, a love offering was taken during the worship service and sent to Christ Allapattah United Methodist Church the home church of our pastor, The Reverend Susan Lindblade, for use in their discretionary fund. In a thank you letter written to Rev. Lindblade, Christ Allapattah pastor, Roberto Perez said:

"Our church has been greatly touched by St Matthew’s generosity. Some of our members lost their homes. You know many of them - Billy Anderson (he served on a Committee that awarded our pastor a scholarship when she went to college), Ofelia Ballard (she was our pastor's mother's third grade Sunday School teacher) and others, had their homes damaged by the hurricane. We distributed food and clothing from Christ Allapattah to about 300 families. Donations came from different sources, including the United Methodist Church. We paid a downpayment and a month's rent to a family of four persons. As you probably read, many of the Methodist Churches along with their parsonages were destroyed. Among the people we helped was a missionary family of the Methodist Church - founders of Alfalit International, Inc. (a Literary program in Latin America) who also had their home destroyed. Please give our love to your people and we appreciate their prayers and support."

Few will forget the Sunday in March, 1995, when our pastor preached from the roof to make good on a promise to do so if 100 were in attendance in Sunday School. It was a great day of fellowship as we gathered on the front lawn of the church for an outdoor worship service that attracted over 250 people and focused attention on the fact that Saint Matthew's Church is alive, well and moving forward with vision and faith.

Forty years have passed since that first worship service in the storefront church. Many individuals have passed through the scope of the influence of the church that has become known as Saint Matthew's. Like those founding members in the storefront, we, too, have new dreams and celebrate new growth. We are excited and encouraged by the many new Young Adult faces that now fill our sanctuary on Sunday mornings. Additional nursery staff has been hired to handle the population increase among our babies and toddlers. Landscaping and a new parking lot have been added to enhance the outside appearance of the church, and a Sanctuary Renovation project completed last year has brought added warmth and beauty to our sanctuary. And, in keeping with our Methodist heritage of "The World Is Our Parish", anyone in the world can now view the Saint Matthew's Homepage on the Internet.

Finally, just like those Board members in 1956 who accepted the first church budget unanimously, last year, our Administrative Board unanimously voted to undertake a $102,000 indebtedness for the sanctuary renovation and the purchase of two more houses on Eucalyptus Street, in order that we will have room for even more growth in the coming years. Yes, it was a confident step in faith into the 21st Century, and the emergence of another dream...

....... a dream perhaps of one day turning this newly acquired property into additional parking and a Family Life Center to house new and vital ministries for our church and community.