Avondale United Methodist Church
Avondale United Methodist Church is a United Methodist Church located on the southwest corner of 40th Street and 5th Avenue South facing Avondale Park and the Avondale Library in Forest Park-South Avondale.
The church was founded in 1886 as the First Methodist Episcopal Church South of Avondale, after two years of meeting for Sunday school in an area store building. Encouraged by John Ferguson, the church organized itself with 18 members and began holding meetings at a residence on Avenue C. Within a year the group erected its first building on a lot donated by Benjamin Roden, president of the Avondale Land Company at 4212 5th Avenue South. The white-washed church house cost $3,000 and featured a bell donated by William Drennen. Soon later a parsonage was built behind the church, facing 4th Avenue South.
At the turn of the century the small church was outgrowing its house of worship. Sunday school classes met at Griffin's Hall and the Avondale Fire Station. In 1917 the present property was acquired from George Hays. A Sunday school building was the first structure erected on the site, commenced in 1922 and completed in 1925. A campaign to raise funds for a new sanctuary was begun on Easter Sunday 1927. It was completed in 1931.
A Family Recreation Center facing 5th Avenue behind the education building was added in 1973.
Pastors
- December 1886 - November 1887: John Ferguson
- November 1887 - November 1888: John Simpson
- November 1888 - November 1889: J. W. Shoemaker
- November 1889 - November 1891: J. E. McCann
- December 1891 - October 1893: W. R. Kirk
- November 1893 - December 1897: H. C. Howard
- December 1897 - December 1900: J. D. Ellis
- December 1900 - November 1904: W. T. Andrews
- November 1904 - November 1908: J. C. Persinger
- November 1908 - November 1912: Robert Anderson
- November 1912 - November 1914: P. L. Abernathy
- November 1914 - November 1917: Claude Orear
- November 1917 - November 1919: J. H. McClesky
- November 1919 - November 1922: George Harris
- November 1922 - November 1925: J. F. Sturdivant
- November 1925 - November 1929: L. D. Patterson
- November 1929 - November 1931: L. F. Stansel
- November 1931 - November 1933: William Lantrip
- November 1933 - November 1936: B. B. Glasgow
- November 1936 - November 1937: W. E. Morris
- November 1937 - November 1941: G. Fred Cooper
- November 1941 - November 1942: F. K. Gamble
- November 1942 - November 1949: J. M. Gibbs
- November 1949 - November 1953: Otis Kirby
- November 1953 - November 1954: W. Glenn Bartee
- November 1954 - October 1958: A. Tillman Sprouse
- October 1958 - May 1963: James Harris
- June 1963 - May 1965: Martin Coleman
- May 1965 - May 1967: Henry Gary
- June 1967 - June 1970: C. Ray Shubert
- June 1970 - June 1975: J. Grant Parris
- June 1975 - June 1980: Joe Moore
- June 1980 - January 1985: Hoyt Logan
- January - June 1985: J. Grant Parris
- June 1985 - June 1988: Henry Golson
- June 1988 - June 1992: H. Mack Finney
- June 1992 - June 1996: George and Dorothy Scott
- June 1996 - March 1998: Calvin Gibson
- June 1998 - June 2002: Jerry Sims
- June 2002 - present: David Commer
External links
- Avondale United Methodist Church website