After a century of ministry, the once largest Methodist church in Virginia comes to an end | Faith

Thousands of souls once worshiped at Park Place United Methodist Church. Only a dozen or so gray-haired holdouts are left – the vestiges of what was once the largest Methodist congregation in Virginia.

Mortality and white flight claimed the rest of the flock. The remnants abandoned the 1,000-seat sanctuary long ago – they gather in a tiny chapel, down the hall from all that stained-glass stillness.

Now, the elderly congregation is calling it quits; Sunday was the last sermon for its retiring pastor, Steve Wall-Smith. Title to the property is being turned over to Methodist missions. Members will shuffle off into the sunset.