The exact year of the
birth of the church we now call Birmingham United Methodist Church is uncertain. What
we do know is that at least two families, the Hooks and the Pruetts, who moved into this area in the mid-1840s, were
Methodists and established what became known as Pleasant Hill
Methodist Church. That church was located on Taylor Road,
approximately two miles south of the present location off
Birmingham Highway. Since the removal of the Cherokee Indians in
the 1830s, this area has been known as Cherokee County. With the
formation of Milton County in 1857 and Fulton County in 1937, it
makes it necessary to search the historical records in three
counties
What motivated Jacob Hook, then in his sixties, to move his extended family from South
Carolina is unknown. Since it was recorded on all Georgia deeds
signed by him, as well as his tombstone, that he was from
Orangeburg, South Carolina, he must have left with reluctance.
Jacob owned the land on Taylor Road, where he was buried in 1855.
In time, the cemetery land was donated to the church, which was
located across Taylor Road. Jacob and two of his sons, Lewis and JCR, were physicians. After the death of JCR Hook in 1871, it was
decided the location of the church should be moved to its present
site on Birmingham Highway. The church was then known as Milton
Chapel and it was built on land donated by PJ Wilson.
Zechariah Pruett,
originally from Virginia, moved down through the Carolinas and
settled for a while in Franklin County, Georgia. Though several of
his children remained in Franklin, Zechariah and wife Jane moved
to this area, where other children, including Jonathan and Zachary
Taylor were born in the 1840s. Jonathan died in 1897 and is buried
in the cemetery on Taylor Road. Zachary Taylor died in 1894 when
son Oscar was only three years old. Oscar and his wife, Ida Cobb
Pruett were parents of our own Louise Pruett Rudasill Brown.
Louise has had a life long connection with our church and through
her ancestors a legacy spanning at least 155 years.
The church experienced
considerable growth after the relocation to its present site and
was renamed Birmingham Methodist. A boarding school was chartered
through the church that attracted students from all over North
Georgia. After county schools were begun, the school was no
longer needed and was discontinued. The church donated the
building and land to Fulton County.
The current church
building was finished in 1947 and is the fourth on this site. The
rooms on the back of the church, called the Annex, were added in
the 1950s. The steeple was added later. That steeple was nearly
destroyed by age and weather. In 1997 a new steeple and lovely
Narthex were added. The steeple was given in loving memory of Mr.
Charles (Sonny) Foster. Margaret Dimsdale made a gift in 1996 of
the large brass cross at the back of the Choir Loft in memory of
her beloved Walt. Mr. and Mrs. Scott Childress gave the Baptismal
Font in 1997. In 2001 the beautiful piano was dedicated to the
memory of Sydney Lyon Greenfield, granddaughter of Maye and Jack
Eaton.
In the early days of
the church, men and women entered through different doors and sat
on benches on opposite sides of the center aisle. Church was held
only two Sundays a month, with congregants traveling by horse
drawn wagons from southeast Cherokee and northern Milton
Counties. A hitching post embedded in a large pine on the
southwest side of the current church gives witness to this early
time. The church was on a circuit with usually four and at times,
nine other churches.
Over seventy-five
ministers served the circuit between the years of 1848 and 1985,
averaging a tenure of less than two years.
By the 1980's, active
church members had dwindled to twelve. Despite this, the members
continued to actively serve the church and the community with the
deliverance of Thanksgiving Baskets, community Easter Egg Hunts,
Christmas pageants and mission projects to Murphy-Harpst-Vasti
Children’s Home. The North Georgia Conference of the United
Methodist Church determined that the church should close and merge
with another local church. About that time,
Rev. John Wolfe was
sent to be the pastor. With his passion and leadership, those
twelve members determined that we should not close, but rather
grow and thrive. So began a new destiny for the church. John is
the full time pastor as well as the President of Methodist Hour
International. Rev. Judy Wolfe, John's wife, served as the
Oncology Chaplain at Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital when the
Wolfe's first came. Of those twelve members who chose to give new
life to the church, five are still very active. Their names are JW and Peggy Beam, Louise Brown, Margaret Dimsdale and Lillian
Cole.
Since John and Judy
Wolfe have been involved with BUMC, growth has been dynamic. The
lack of available space has dramatically dictated ministries. It
has been necessary to be creative in providing for the needs of
the congregation and the community.
Miles Murphy began the
tradition of an Easter Sunrise Service. The last service that
wasn’t hampered by bad weather had over 800 in attendance. At
that time, the actual membership of the church was about 85. This
year we will hold this special service on our own land. Dinner on
the Grounds is held each month to provide additional opportunity
for fellowship.
Modular units were
purchased to provide educational space for the nursery and
children. Kay Williams became the first full time staff person.
In a leap of faith, the home north of the church became Kids
Kingdom and ushered in a new way to teach children old values.
After much consternation, the building west of the church was
finally torn down and the land once again became the property of
the church.
By God’s Grace,
Steve
Smith, our music director, joined the staff and brought a gift of
energy and richness to music and worship that has exceeded
anything we could have imagined. Beginning in March of 2001, we
began two morning worship services each Sunday with over three
hundred in attendance. Christmas, 2002, will mark our third
concert, with Steve Smith directing 60 adults in the choir.
October 2002 marked the beginning of a children’s choir program. Children also serve the
church as acolytes at each worship service.
A utility barn was
purchased, relocated to our site, and remodeled to provide a place
for our youth to meet. A new fulltime Youth Director,
Mark Jones,
joined the staff in August 2002. In addition to Junior and Senior
High UMYF, he added Wednesday night Bible studies for both groups
and retreats on new Sanctuary property. The purchase of two
authentic teepees gave additional space for these overnight
retreats.
We must never forget
that all of this would not have been possible without those early
pioneers in the 1840s and the stalwart twelve of the 1980s. Now
it is our turn to roll up our sleeves and work for His Kingdom
It is clear that He who began a great work in you will be faithful
to complete it
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