‘ ONE BODY, MANY PARTS’’ Christ the King Catholic and UMC Fulton share more than just space
THOMAS WELLS | DAILY JOURNAL
Christ the King Catholic Church in downtown Fulton. United Methodist Church of Fulton has also held its services in at this location since 2023.
By BEN SUTTON Itawamba County Times
The Protestant Reformation in 1517 marked not just a turning point for the Christian church, but also the history of Europe and much of the world. Many of this country’ s first settlers came here for religious freedom, a direct result of Protestants breaking away from the Catholic Church and further splintering into their own denominations.
That centuries-old split makes the relationship between Christ the King Catholic Church and United Methodist Church, both in Fulton, quite remarkable. For nearly 2 years, the two churches have shared the same building on West
Main Street in Downtown Fulton, with the Catholic congregation holding its mass on Saturdays while the Methodists hold services on Sunday mornings. The church site – which, ironically, was the original location of United Fulton Methodist – was first bought by Christ the King Catholic Church in 1968 and is the oldest church building in Fulton. Now, the building which United Methodist Church of Fulton called home nearly 60 years ago is home once again.
“ For most of church history, at least since the Reformation, something like this would have been unimaginable,” Reverend Smith Lilley, minister for United Methodist Church of Fulton, said.“ You might have had some neutral territory that people might share. But it’ s a rare thing, not
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