Camp Verde UMC in the 1950s
After 143 years of history and ministry, Camp Verde United Methodist Church (CVUMC) was officially closed on October 1, 2019 per 2016 Book of Discipline paragraph 2549.3.b. The church was founded in October of 1876 by Rev. Alexander Groves. Rev. Groves founded the first Methodist churches in the Arizona territory. Camp Verde United Methodist Church had a long history of faithful service in our Desert Southwest Conference. In 2017, some members of the church and the pastor left the United Methodist denomination and tried to keep the church property. That decision and the way it has been carried out, left many wounds and lasting scars and it has resulted in an ongoing lawsuit. In consultation with former and current members of CVUMC and the cabinet, the bishop has discerned that we will not be able to restart a Camp Verde United Methodist congregation at this time. The difficulty of these last two years does not diminish the faithful witness and ministry of generations of Methodists who faithfully served Christ through CVUMC. We know that God is not restricted to one building or one community and we trust in a God, who reigns through changing times, through endings as well as beginnings. Closure of Camp Verde UMC will be presented for confirmation at the Annual Conference in June 2020 where the years of faithful service will be honored and celebrated.
