FAQ

What is happening at Munger Place?
Munger Place United Methodist Church is currently in the process of being renovated.  Our goal is to start having weekly worship again in October 2010.

What is being renovated?
The entire church building is getting a facelift.  Our goal is to preserve all of what's great about the building—the stained glass, the ornate stone and woodwork, the dark wood beams and pews—while also enhancing it with 21st technology and amenities.  The church is getting a new roof (the old one leaks), a new electrical system, and a new heating and air conditioning system.  The biggest changes are taking place in the basement, where we're putting in a really cool children's space for the neighborhood kids.

What will the new church be like?
We want worship services at Munger to be like the church building (and, for that matter, the entire neighborhood): we'll keep what's best about the tradition, and mix it with what's best about today.  We want Munger to be known for the excellence and creativity of its music, music you won't hear anywhere else.  We also want the preaching to reach folks who maybe haven't been to church in a long time, or who have never been to church ever.

What is the relationship between Highland Park United Methodist Church and Munger Place?
In the summer of 2009 when the former Munger Place congregation could no longer afford to keep its doors open (old buildings are really expensive to maintain), the larger Methodist church organization in North Texas stepped in.  Highland Park UMC agreed to assume responsibility of the Munger Place site, with the understanding that HPUMC would raise the money necessary to renovate the building, and that as soon as possible, HPUMC would see that a new congregation began meeting in Munger Place.  It was really important to everyone involved that the legacy of Munger Place would continue, and that Munger would continue to be a great neighborhood church.  Munger Place will be an extension campus of Highland Park, in the same way that the University of Texas at Dallas is an extension campus of the larger University of Texas system.  The really cool thing is that because of modern technology, Munger Place will be able to draw on some of the preaching at HPUMC and use it in its worship services.

What about the Wilkinson Center?
For years now, an excellent social service agency called the Wilkinson Center has leased space at Munger Place.  The Wilkinson Center has decided that they will be able to best serve their clients by focusing all their efforts at their Buckner and I-30 location.  We tried to persuade them to stay (it would have been great to have them so close!), but our partnership with the Wilkinson Center will certainly continue.

Who is the new church for?
Munger Place exists for its neighborhood and its community.  We will be a neighborhood church, and we want to be a church for people who aren't that comfortable in the other churches in the area.  If you live nearby, please know that Munger is for you!