Ribbon cutting for John Wesley Church and Nellie Brooks Leatherberry Cook Shop and African American Museum 

John Wesley Preservation Society will host a ribbon-cutting to celebrate completion of its renovation. Local ministers and supporters will  gather at the corner of Oxford and Evergreen roads to re-dedicate the John  Wesley Church and the Nellie Brooks Leatherberry Cook Shop and African  American Museum. 

The re-dedication ceremony will include Preservation Board president Teresa  Greene, Reverend Reginald Pinkett from Waters United Methodist Church,  Reverend Kevin Cross from Church of the Holy Trinity, and Ms. Pat Jessup,  representing Reverend June Billman for Oxford United Methodist, along with  Reverend Dartanyon Hines from Eternal Life Ministries in Denton. Waymon Pinder,  former John Wesley Church parishioner and brother of longtime board member  Virginia Gibson will speak about the history and importance of this property.  Singers from local choirs will sing hymns of praise and celebration. Preservation  Society board member Maschell Hines organized this event, and other board members actively contributed. 

John Wesley Church has been part of the Oxford community since 1838. The current church building dates from 1875. The Cook Shop, built in the 1940s,  provided food for churchgoers. A local business owner, Nellie Leatherberry, felt strongly that food should not be sold out of the church and was instrumental in raising money for the separate building. Parishioners still remember Ms.  Leatherberry’s exceptional soups and pies.  

The church closed in the mid-1970s, and the buildings slowly deteriorated. In 2003,  people who loved the church raised funds to save it. The John Wesley  Preservation Society was born and embarked on this extensive restoration project. Rauch Inc. and Harper & Sons General Contractors, both out of Easton, Maryland,  oversaw the design and construction with extreme generosity and dedication. 

Open Saturdays April through November, the church and Cook Shop are available for private events. The Preservation Society invites you to visit, and looks forward to welcoming you to this historic African American site. For more information, go to the website at johnwesleychurch.org.