In the 1950's, when Princess Anne County began to grow into what we now know as the city of Virginia Beach, the Norfolk District Board of Missions of the Methodist Church saw a need for the establishment of a new church to serve a rapidly growing community.

In 1957, four and one-half acres of land on Virginia Beach Boulevard, including an attractive brick home and several smaller buildings, became available.  Dr. Harry Wardell Backhus III, Norfolk District Superintendent and president of the Methodist Board of Missions, approached the owners, Floyd and Elizabeth Price, stating that the property was just what he and his committee had in mind for the birthing of a new congregation.  Mr. Price, to Dr. Backhus' surprise, agreed to secure the Board's option to buy for a fee of one dollar!  Mr. and Mrs. Price and their son, Gilbert, had lived on the property since 1948, having purchased it from Ollie and Adrian Vellekoop.  The builders of the house on the property were Elizabeth and Palmer Ingram, who owned the property in 1937, and the bricks used to build the living room fireplace were imported from England.

On January 3, 1958, ownership of the property was transferred to the Norfolk District Board of Missions, and the location of Foundry Methodist Church became a reality.  The church was named after the first meeting house of early Methodists in London, where John Wesley had purchased a cannon foundry for his services.

A sheep shed on the property had been built by Mr. and Mrs. Price and was a multipurpose building.  It was a storage place for cases of oil used in Mrs. Price's business.  Antique furniture was refinished there by Mrs. Price, and pet lambs and calves were born there.  This building, 13 feet by 36 feet, was envisioned as a future chapel for conducting worship services.

In 1959, members of First Methodist Church in Norfolk pledged their support to the Foundry project, and in June of that year the Reverend Douglas G. Ebert was assigned to the proposed church site.  Promptly after that, members of First Church began the support they had pledged, and in addition to financial help, they gave many hours of physical labor to clearing, cleaning and renovating the property.  We will always be thankful for their dedication to Foundry.

Shortly after that, Reverend Ebert and his family moved into the brick dwelling on the property. The minister began to knock on doors in the community, inviting people to Sunday School and worship services to be held in his new home.  The first services were held in the parsonage on September 11, 1959, with eight persons attending Sunday School and twenty-two attending the worship service.

Growth of Foundry from this time on was rapid, and realizing the need for a chapel, the people of the Lynnhaven area, as well as men, women and youth from First Church, labored long hours to complete work on the sheep fold. The costs involved were shared by the various Sunday School classes and other organizations of First Church, and the new chapel was ready for use on November 19, 1959, with 44 persons attending the worship service at that time.

Growth continued at a fast pace at Foundry Church, to the point that additional facilities and a larger chapel were required. This new chapel (called "The Chapel in the Pines") was built during the spring of 1960, and Mothers' Day, May 15 of that year, marked the formal organization of Foundry church into the accredited, connectional Methodist Church, with 79 charter members.

By the end of the year 1960 the congregation at Foundry Church had grown to 110 members, and the need for an educational building was of prime consideration. Accordingly, the members of Foundry embarked upon a building program, and in May 1961 work was begun on a Sunday School unit. When the building was completed in November 1961, attendance at Foundry had grown to 240 at worship services and 300 in Sunday School. This gave Foundry a fine Sunday School building, the Chapel-in-the-Pines, which was also used as a social hall, a smaller chapel (the sheep fold) and a parsonage.

The growth continued, and in 1963 a larger sanctuary-social hall building was erected and was ready for use on Dec. 8, 1963. Programs were expanded, and as the population of Virginia Beach continued to grow, so did Foundry.

By 1970, the old parsonage had become inadequate to house our parsonage family, and a new home was built on Kings Lake Drive in the Kings Grant section. The old parsonage then served as a space for Sunday School classrooms and was later used by Volunteers of America.

In July 1975, the old parsonage was made available to Pham Gia Kiem, his wife and their four children when they were forced to leave their home in South Viet Nam. Through sponsorship from the Foundry Family, they were able to come to this country to begin a new life. Many church members offered support by furnishing food, clothing, furniture and other items. Those who knew this wonderful family considered it a privilege to be of assistance. Within three months they had moved into their own home, and over the years, other family members have been able to join them and reunite the family.

Church membership at Foundry continued to increase during the 1970s. The growing congregation called for more space, and a new sanctuary seating 300 was constructed in 1979. Also included in this expansion were new office spaces, a renovated kitchen and a large narthex. The lovely old bricks used to build the "sheep shed" were saved when the shed was taken down, and they were utilized in the narthex of this new sanctuary. A new Allen electronic organ was later added to the new facility. The new sanctuary was consecrated on July 1, 1979.

By 1981, Foundry's membership exceed 800, and through the years, church programs and opportunities for individual Christian growth have been expanded to meet the needs of a large congregation. There are several adult Sunday School classes in addition to our fine children's program. United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Youth Fellowship, Chancel Choir, Youth Choir, Children's Choir, Cherub Choir, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Bible study groups -- all of these and more opportunities are available at Foundry.

Our members have contributed wholeheartedly to local and international programs designed to aid those in need. For example: CROP Walk for world hunger through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), Heifer Project, fish banks, Meals-on-Wheels, the Food Bank and many others.

Undaunted by a church fire in 1983, confined primarily to the kitchen and social hall, the Foundry Family in its true style rallied to the necessity of assessing damage and reconstructing the affected areas of the building. The result has been a better social hall, one that provides more options for a variety of uses. More significant in this unfortunate occurrence, however, was the demonstration of togetherness and unity of the congregation in this time of need.

Still more classroom space was needed, and in 1986, a new education wing was added adjacent to the sanctuary. The new wing includes a choir room, six large classrooms, and two restrooms. The new building was consecrated on May 18, 1986.

In August 1987, Foundry sponsored the Tino Gabriels, an Angolan family of eight. Church members cooperated to locate housing, furnishings, clothing, jobs and food, and even assisted in arranging for doctor visits. The family was truly a welcome addition to the church family, and since the initial arrival of the eight, two more sons have joined the family in this country. All then are active members of Foundry, and it is heartwarming to see them literally fill a pew on Sunday mornings!

In the spring of 1990, Foundry celebrated a joyous occasion, when the note was burned and our education wing was declared debt-free.

In September 1992, beautiful stained glass windows, designed by master craftsman Ray Gregory of Art Glass Resplendent in Norfolk, were installed in the sanctuary of the church. The windows feature stylized theological symbols centered with a gothic arch and cross. The windows are crafted from genuine Lamberts mouth-blown antique glass imported from Germany. A large window over the alter of the church shows our Lord Jesus as a shepherd. It is a reminder that our church had its beginnings in a sheep shed.

God has blessed Foundry Church over the years, and as we celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2000, we looked back with pride in all that has been accomplished and look forward with great anticipation to what, with His guidance, we can and will do in the future.