Rev. Daniel L. Garrett passed away on Sunday, April 25. Dan was pastor at Central from 1996 – 2001. Here is the announcement his family posted about his passing:

Service Invitation

A graveside service for Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee Garrett will be held on Saturday, May 1st at 11am PDT at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Huntington Beach, CA.  Masks and social distancing will be required. 

For family and friends throughout the country, the service will be live-streamed on Youtube, and available to replay later at the following link: https://youtu.be/iK_m6SgkrpMPlease note the Pacific time zone, the service will be live at 2pm on the East Coast. 

The Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee Garrett died peacefully on Sunday, April 25, 2021 at his home in Costa Mesa, California, surrounded by his family. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio to the Rev. Bernard John Garrett and Pauline Elizabeth Smith Garrett on March 4, 1941.  He is survived by his wife of 52 years, the Rev. Dr. Susan Schweitzer Garrett, his sons David (Marcy) of Tustin, California, and Joshua (Ngoc) of Costa Mesa, California, and by his five grandchildren, Zachary, Jonathan, and Benjamin of Tustin, and June and Heath of Costa Mesa.  He is also survived by his sister, Marjorie Veach (Bill) of Homosassa, Florida, and by his sisters- and brothers-in-law, Sally and Jack Sanders and Carol and Peter Schilling, and eight nieces and nephews.

After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1963, Dan served in the Navy for four years, including as the Executive Officer of the USS Coconino County (LST-603), stationed in Vietnam.  Following his service in the Navy, Dan attended Yale Divinity School, and then served as a United Methodist minister and seminary professor in Virginia for the next 40 years.  His appointments included Regester Chapel in Stafford, Fincastle, Strasburg, Duncan Memorial in Berryville, and Central United Methodist Church in Staunton.  He also taught United Methodist Studies at three seminaries—Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, and at Union Presbyterian Seminary and Virginia Union School of Theology, both in Richmond.  In retirement, he and his wife Susan served interim pastoral appointments at First United Methodist and Braddock Street United Methodist Churches in Winchester.  Retirement was also the time when Dan became a part of the Arts Chorale of Winchester and the Piedmont Singers, and when he wrote five books on United Methodist ministry, practical theology, and history.

Memorial donations may be made to Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4400 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604, or to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. 

Based on results of a congregational survey, Central will resume its Sunday morning Worship Services at 11:00 on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021. We’d love to have you join us! All CDC recommended guidelines will be followed.

Here are the menu options:

1. 
Chicken salad on croissant
Fresh fruit
Potato chips
Assorted cookies
Bottled water

2.
Pimiento cheese on croissant
Fresh fruit
Potato chips
Assorted cookies
Bottled water

The cost is $15.00. Lunch is available for pickup from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 17. You must make your luncheon reservations by paying by Thursday, April 15. You can pay by selecting the Online Giving option under the Worship tab on this website. Or, simply click here

Traditionally, Central UMC hosted the Community MLK, Jr. Celebration but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we will turn to a virtual celebration at www.emu.edu/mlk.

Eastern Mennonite University invites you to participate in our Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration to be held Sunday, January 17th – Monday, January 18th. Our theme this year: “No Love without Justice: No Justice without Truth”. All events will be virtual this year due to COVID-19. Please join us on Facebook Live or via zoom. All events are posted at www.emu.edu/mlk.

The CUMC United Methodist Men didn’t let COVID-19 stop them from doing mission work. On November 18, John Bauman, Blair Sullenburger, Bill Bushman, Jim Printy, and Joe Hill re-roofed a storage shed for a family in Verona. On November 24, they returned and re-roofed a second shed on the property. Click here to see more pictures.

Central’s oldest member, Betty Harris Hanger, died on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at The Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton. She was 101 years old. Betty was baptized at Central on March 9, 1929 by Rev. C. M. Hesser. She was a lifelong CUMC member and was recently given a lifetime membership pin into the CUMC United Methodist Women. She is the mother of Lynn Hanger Hill, the grandmother of Ann Cook Hill, and the great grandmother of Henry, Gus, Betsy, and Freddie Gutshall and is also survived by son-in-law Joe Hill and grandson-in-law Josh Gutshall, all active members at Central. She also had three other children, ten other grandchildren, and 16 other great-grandchildren. Her funeral will be a family graveside service on Saturday, November 14. She will be greatly missed by family and Central friends.