Pell City First United Methodist Church
Many amazing and dedicated people have been a part of our church over the years. They have made lasting contributions to the church and the community.
EARLY DAYS
The First United Methodist Church began as a small gathering of Pell City residents who organized a Sunday School class which held meetings in the Alverson Hotel. In 1902, the Rev. E. B. Emerson was the first pastor of the church, which became a part of the North Alabama Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1903, a white frame building was erected on the corner of 22nd Street and Third Avenue North where the present sanctuary now stands.
In 1924, under the leadership of Rev. John Resper Carwile, plans were made to replace the wooden structure with a brick sanctuary and classroom space in the basement. During this time the church advanced from being a circuit church to being a station. This new sense of pride gave the congregation the confidence to move forward. In 1953 the stained glass windows were cleaned and the necessary repairs made at a cost of $107.68.
In March of 1955, a drive under the leadership of Rev. Gary and Mr. Blair Jones, chairman of The Board of Stewards, was launched to raise money for a new educational building. The goal was $25,000.00. A building committee was appointed with Mr. A. T. Winkler as chairman. Serving with him were Mrs. E. O. (Louise) Littlejohn, J. R. Lowery, J. A. (Jack) Hazelwood, Foster Oliver, and Rev. Henry Gary who acted as advisor.
After many meetings and much study, the committee agreed upon a plan. It was to provide the classrooms to meet the educational program of the church. An addition to the building would also provide office space for the pastor, the church secretary, superintendent of Sunday School, a library, two small nursery rooms, and a small chapel. The original plan provided two floors with potential for additional classrooms on the third floor for a youth department.
Enthusiasm was high. Pledges were made to finance the project, and on Sunday, December 2, 1956, a ground-breaking ceremony was conducted at the back west corner of the sanctuary. Mrs. W. H. (Ella) Miller, our oldest member and only living charter member of the church, threw out the first shovel of dirt on the spot where the building would be constructed. The new building would house all Sunday School units and probably cost $50,000.00 when completed. Already pledges exceeded $30,000.00.
In April of 1957 the new Educational Building was finished! Invitations were sent to former pastors and friends to attend the consecration. Rev. Gary, who saw the beginning of the building, returned to see the finished product. An enthusiastic membership gathered for the cutting of the ribbons which enabled groups to go to their assigned classrooms. With more space, the attendance of the Sunday School increased. The total cost of the building was $40,000.00.
Following the occupancy of the new educational building, the men of the church voted to convert the basement into a fellowship hall. They removed the temporary partitions and painted the entire area. For the first time in a long, long time the church could enjoy fellowship meals together.
SCOUTING
In early 1956 the Board voted to sponsor the entire family of Scouting. Consequently, Troop 191 and Pack 48 were chartered, as they remain to this date. A. D. Mathis was the first Scout Master and served for 26 years.
EASONVILLE CHURCH
In the late 1950’s it was learned that a new flood control and power dam would be built on the Coosa River, south of Easonville. The resulting lake would flood the surrounding lowlands. Easonville would be submerged in Logan Martin Lake. Within the next year, three cemeteries and two church buildings were moved to higher ground. The Easonville Methodist congregation voted to give their building to the Coosa Valley Baptist Church and to transfer their membership to the First United Methodist Church in Pell City. This was accomplished in 1961 when approximately 40 Easonville members transferred their membership to the Pell City church. Of the money they brought $750.00 designated for the establishment of a church library.
The Easonville and Pell City churches had often shared the same pastor as members of the same circuit. Easonville was one of the earliest towns settled in the county. Being an agricultural community, it was self-supporting. A general store sold almost everything a family would need, from seed and fertilizer to hats and silks. It was there that the first and only boarding academy was established so that young people could attend the higher grades in school. The last class graduated from the school in 1928. By then, other high schools were being built in the country.
Easonville had two churches: the Methodist and the Baptist. For many years the Methodist church was the only church there. Thus young people came to its Sunday School and Youth Training Groups. Mrs. Grover (Julia) Waite was in charge of the church youth. For years she had up to 70 members in her Sunday School class and in the evening Epworth League. The community also had a cotton gin, four dairies, and a cemetery.
The exact date the Easonville Methodist church was built is not known. However, its organization was prior to the Civil War, and in those early years all denominations attended and participated in its programs. Pell City’s church welcomed the Easonville members with their fellowship. The new people brought dedication and a willingness to work with them when they moved. They are an important part of the history of the First United Methodist Church. Their bell now hangs in the bell tower of the church. (Appreciation to Mrs. Henry Netta Abbott Wadsworth for this information about Easonville.)
CHAPEL IN THE PINES
With the filling of Logan Martin, many people from outside the area bought lots and built homes on the beautiful shore lines. A lovely Pine Harbor Country Club and motel and restaurant were built in a setting of pines on the eastern shore. Acknowledging the fact that each weekend would see campers and vacationers on the lake shoreline, it was clear that they would need a place where they could worship in casual attire. Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cassidy owned the Pine Harbor restaurant and motel, and they offered a wooded area adjacent to the motel for an outdoor chapel. It was named Chapel in the Pines. The Cassidy’s also offered accommodations for visiting guest speakers including dinner on Saturday evening, overnight room at the motel and Sunday breakfast. Other churches in the area agreed, at first, to share in the responsibility of securing speakers and providing clean-up crews to maintain the grounds. This plan worked well for a while. Then one by one the other churches dropped out. Since that time it has become a First United Methodist mission project. The foundation for the chapel was laid in late 1963 and by Memorial Day 1964 services began in the beautiful outdoor chapel. From Memorial Day in May through Labor Day in September of each year services have been held. Through the years, the chapel has been the home of some lovely outdoor weddings. Obliging friends have sometimes furnished a boat in which the newlyweds have sailed or motored away down the lake.
RENOVATIONS TO THE MAIN CHURCH BUILDING
In 1963, the front of the church was revamped. A bell tower was added and the Easonville bell was installed there. Extensive work was also done in the sanctuary. In the fall of that year, a church library was begun. To give the library its greatest advantage in getting “off the ground”, the Nashville Cokesbury Library van brought a suggested library for the church members to see. Members and church friends were invited to buy and donate their favorite book. Many did just that. After a weekend of members buying and browsing, the Nashville librarian then took our money and used it to buy the books to give the church a well-balanced collection of books.
In 1968 the Methodist church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren of the north to become the United Methodist Church. The women’s organization of the two churches united and became the United Methodist Women.
Outside our church, on the corner, the church sign had served many years and was showing its age. A “concerned member” gave Rev. Cole $300.00 for a new sign. E. O. Littlejohn designed and helped to erect an attractive brick one. It served until the 1974 tornado destroyed it along with a portion of the sidewalk.
A large tornado hit Pell City in 1974 and did serious damage throughout the entire community. The Langdale United Methodist Church, Rev. Kaylor’s last church before coming to Pell City, was one of the first to respond to news of our church’s misfortune and damage with a generous check. Repair of damages began at once. The entire sanctuary had to be refurbished. Pews had to be removed and refinished. Floors had to be dried out to be repaired and re-carpeted. In spite of all the disarray, the Kaylors remained in the parsonage to help in every way possible. It was a tiresome process, but the church emerged stronger than before and with grateful hearts for the blessing they had experienced.
May 23, 1974, was the date set to celebrate the 75th birthday of our church. Heritage Day was a huge success. The details are covered in a special events section of this book. It was announced that Dr. T. A. Edgar, former pastor, would bring the message on Heritage Day and that the women of the church would furnish the dinner.
In the fall of 1976, approval was given for a number of improvements. They included having all names on the sanctuary windows retouched so as to be legible, installing a telephone in the office of the church secretary, sending a gift of $150.00 to Camp Sumatanga, using the money left on the altar during communion service for the poor, and raising the donation to the Selma Children’s Home from $10.00 to $20.00 in lieu of funeral flowers. The city had agreed to build curbs and gutters and lay sidewalks in front of the church and parsonage at no cost to the church.
Dr. Moore proposed the establishment of a Long Range Planning Committee. Their function would be to look into all areas of the church. They would be able to envision where they thought the church could be ten years down the road. The only power the committee was to have was to report their comments. The following were appointed to the committee: Joe Dorough, Nancy Jordan, Keith Porter, Larry Moody, Chappell Couch, Littleton Yarbrough, Joy Clayton, Graves Musgrove, Debbie Thomas, Bruce Etheridge, and Mary Ann Robinson.
Dr. Moore also introduced the possibility of having an early Sunday morning service in addition to the 11:00 service. He asked board members to consider an 8:30 service. If the early hour was accepted, he suggested that the same sermon be used for both services. He reminded board members that the purpose of having an Administrative Board is to win people to Christ and suggested that each member take the names of three families in the church membership and visit them at least four times each year to let them know that the church cares about them.
In June 1982, Rev. Donnie Erwin-Brown joined the staff team. “Donnie” as he was fondly called by youth and adults was the first associate pastor of the church. He came with expertise and enthusiasm. Within the first eighteen months under his leadership, he helped youth raise funds to finance two work camps. This enabled both the junior and senior highs to be actively involved in missions. He also took on responsibility for management of an interfaith mission sponsored by nine local congregations in the Pell City area. It later came to be known as the Christian Love Pantry.
During the last two years of Dr. Moore’s tenure, a person from the U. S. Government in Washington called a local minister and offered a grant of $10,000.00 to establish a food pantry for the needy. That church official felt their church programs were at their limit, so decided to decline the grant. That same person then called the Rev. Julian McPhillips, Rector of St. Simon-Peter Episcopal Church and made the same offer. Rev. McPhillips felt that such a responsibility was too great for a single church and asked for an extension of time to consult the local ministerial association. The association liked the plan and nine churches accepted it and agreed to each furnish a specific canned food or staple commodity. The program began in a room in the St. Simon Peter Episcopal Church, but soon moved to a rented center with more space. The money was used for rent and for the only fresh food. With each bag of canned food, a family was given a fresh whole chicken. As time went on, many other churches joined in the program. Rev. Donnie Erwin-Brown had been involved with such a program while at the Candler School in Atlanta and he was asked to serve as Pantry director. He agreed and continued in that capacity until the summer of 1986 when he was reappointed.
In January 1984, the finance chairman, J. D. Abbott reported that in order to consider building an extension to the education building, a sum of $125,000.00 would need to be raised. During Holy Week of that year, services averaged 201 in attendance. In memory of a beloved choir member, Mrs. Jewel Fambrough, the Outreach Committee gave a brass cross to hang on the wall behind the choir.
Early in 1985, ground was being prepared for the foundation of the proposed new building. The Fellowship Hall was enlarged to seat one-third more people. New stainless steel appliances brought the kitchen up to date with health and fire codes.
For many years there had been a need for an elevator for the use of the handicapped. Space in the new plan provided for such an elevator. Following a question and answer session on the new building plans, the board voted unanimously for Tom Garner, building committee chairman, to authorize the architect to draw up the blueprints. They also voted for a new heating system for the sanctuary and a copy machine for the church office.
In May, Larry Moody, with the approval of the Board, had the lots in front of the parsonage graded and leveled for parking. Bruce Etheridge, Finance Chairman, reported that $53,000 of pledge money had come in and added to the already established $125,000.00, made enough to go ahead with a loan for the new construction. In May 1987, a playground for small children was completed at the back of the church.