Keys passed at FUM as church expands ministry

Details: Lance Martin; News; 15 December 2023; 6595

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First United Methodist Church will see new life as the keys were handed over to its new owner, Orin Perry, who has guided the growth of The House of Mandate located at 1510 Buffaloe Street.

The Roanoke Rapids native says he plans to open the 100-plus-years-old church the first Sunday in March.

The church was closed due to shrinking numbers and the rising costs of operations.

The church will be more than a house of worship, Perry said before a ribbon-cutting held by the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce — it has a ministry that reaches beyond Sunday services.

Perry is the chair of the Re-Entry Council of Halifax County. “The demographics of people we’re servicing are downtown. Many of them are walking towards the church. I wanted to get somewhere that was a central location but big enough to house our attendance as well as to continue the initiative of the community endeavors that we have.”

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The church also holds job fairs and resource fairs as well as expungement clinics. “We work closely with the judicial system helping with recidivism — helping individuals who are repeat offenders.”

The church also offers daycare services and after-care services. “We’re working on these initiatives. This is not about Dr. Orin Perry and The House of Mandate alone but we are Halifax.”

The House of Mandate has been in existence 13 years, Perry said, and its membership has grown to 600. Its internet viewership has swelled to 1,500. “It means the world,” he said of the growth, “However, at the same token it’s a humbling experience because people don’t have to believe in you, they don’t have to trust but nevertheless they’ve seen something in what God has given me to do as a visionary.”

Perry speaks about Halifax County’s Tier 1 status. “There are several crises that we’re experiencing in our county as far as transportation. There’s no secret that the mental health component is very, very needful. We’re trying to collaborate with Trillium and bring all the resources together as a unified front to service every area that may be needed. I’m trying to work diligently on making The House of Mandate a one-stop station to offer housing, to work with individuals as far as recidivism, to work with expungement, to work with individuals dealing with mental health issues and the various other things that are needed.”

Perry said the ministry has always been a calling that takes the form of a “passion for the voiceless — not just pushing equality but pushing equity as well.”

He said he plans to make use of the entire 30,000 square-feet of the church located in the 300 block of Roanoke Avenue. While he looked at others, he said FUM was ideal for the capacity and the community initiatives the church has. “I salute First United Methodist Church for their initiatives and what they’ve done for the community because it’s outstanding and we’re going to continue that vision the best we can.”

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, chamber President Ginny Lewis said she viewed the church as a business because, “It gets the work of our lord and savior done.”

John M. Tayloe, northeast regional director for United States Senator Ted Budd, said, “Senator Budd is proud of you and he’s proud of what you’re doing here in Roanoke Rapids and your ministry and service to this community alongside the re-entry council.”

Betty Harris of Wilkie Real Estate, whose agent Jessica Council facilitated the sale of the church, presented Perry a model of the church.

She said Charles Davis was the architect of the church when they rebuilt it in 1968 following a 1967 fire.

Harris’s mother-in-law, Ruth, was one of the people on the committee at the time. “It was a very emotional time when they rebuilt it.”

The replica of the church was in Davis’s house and office when there was an estate sale. “I saved it,” she said. “I hated for it to be thrown away.”

Council said FUM was the first church to be financed in the area and it was the first time the church had ever been sold. “It’s changed names over the years but it’s never been sold.”

TAGS: halifaxcountynews, roanokerapidsnews, roanokevalleychamberofcommerce, firstunitedmethodistchurch, houseofmandate, orinperry

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