In the East Granby countryside, across from the Copper Hill Golf Course, around the corner from a residential area, stands a white building nearly 200 years old, with a big bell beside it. This building is the home of the Copper Hill United Methodist Church.
Inside, on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., a rebirth is taking place. Children vie with each other to find a seat for the Children’s Moment led by JoAnne Jones, wife of the Rev. Dr. Kelvin Jones. Mrs. Jones is the church organist and music director. A new keyboard rings out with piano or organ music accompanying the congregation as they sing traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs.
New families looking for a church home or a Sunday school for their children are finding a welcoming, family-oriented place to worship. On Palm Sunday several of the church youth will be accepted into membership, and new adult members will also join the congregation. The total number joining this year looks to be the highest in recent years.
The folks at Copper Hill Church love children! In addition to weekly Sunday school activities, the church sponsors special seasonal events for community children. These include a family picnic/ballgame, a back-to-school a party, and a fall costume party/hayride.
This small country church upholds a longstanding tradition of outreach to the community and beyond. They support various projects of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, responding to victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and epidemics here and around the world. They also sponsor a young girl in Zambia.
Copper Hill Church hosts a St. Pauly collection box. Last year community members dropped off more than 11,000 pounds of clothing and household linens. St. Pauly distributes items in good condition to people in need and pays the church four cents per pound. The church then donates that total amount to the food banks of Granby, East Granby, and Suffield. In addition, church members gave more than 900 pounds of food and nonperishable items to local food banks.
Fund-raiser dinners featuring delicious home-cooked food are popular at Copper Hill. Many visitors also drop by for the spring and fall tag and bake sales, and a holiday bazaar featuring Christmas and handcrafted items and homemade baked goods. Funds raised from these endeavors contribute to the church’s quarterly donations to local fuel and food banks, as well as various charities such as My Sister’s Place and the Granby Ambulance Service. The church also contributes to the school backpack giveaway, Thanksgiving baskets, and mittens/scarves for Christmas baskets.
On Easter Sunday, after our 9:30 a.m. Easter Celebration, the church will host an Egg Hunt for the children and coffee hour for the adults.
Copper Hill Church is the designated location for the National Day of Prayer observance in the Town of East Granby. This year’s service will be held on Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m.
All visitors are welcome at the services on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. For further information, please call Pastor Kelvin Jones at 860-653-2891.