Central United Methodist Church
About Us
Our Beliefs
We are Christians. We believe in God revealed as Trinity (three in one): Father, Son, and Spirit. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Bible and the good news of God’s love for the world. We hold these essential beliefs in common with all other Christians as they are summed up in the Apostles’ Creed and are confirmed by our own reason and personal experience.
As United Methodists, we trace our roots back to a movement started by John and Charles Wesley in the Church of England in the late 1700s. The Wesleys preached about God’s grace, started small groups, and spent time helping the poor. Their movement spread all around the world, with over 12 million members in the United Methodist Church today, including nearly 300 thousand in the Western North Carolina Conference. We are known for our warm hearts, our open minds, and our helping hands. We believe in a deeply personal relationship with God, leave room for different opinions, and put our faith in action by fighting for social justice.
Our Ministers
Pastor: Tom Owens
Rev. Tom Henderson Owens has lived and served here in western North Carolina for the last six years. His spouse, Rev. Ann Henderson Owens serves as a pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Asheville. They live in Candler with their two energetic children, Emerson (1yo) and Logan (4yo). The Owens family enjoys all that this beautiful region has to offer and loves to spend their time together hiking, swimming, exploring the mountains, and visiting friends in the area. Tom received his Masters of Divinity degree from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado where he also began his ministry vocation. "We are all very grateful for the opportunity to become a part of the Central Canton UMC family, it is a wonderful community that is clearly chasing after the heart of Jesus."
Director of Youth Ministries: Erin Gamez
Born and raised in Haywood County, Erin is a graduate of Haywood Community College and Western Carolina University. She has served as Central's Youth Minister since 2018. Erin is married to Victor and they have a daughter and son, Mia and Elias.