Avondale United Methodist Church

Undated photo of Avondale United Methodist Church. courtesy BPL Archives

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. 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. Both the Sunday school and sanctuary were designed by the Birmingham firm of Miller and Martin.

A Family Recreation Center facing 5th Avenue behind the education building was added in 1973.

Pastors

John Ferguson, December 1886–November 1887 John Simpson, November 1887–November 1888 J. W. Shoemaker, November 1888–November 1889 J. E. McCann, November 1889–November 1891 W. R. Kirk, December 1891–October 1893 H. C. Howard, November 1893–December 1897 J. D. Ellis, December 1897–December 1900 W. T. Andrews, December 1900–November 1904 J. C. Persinger, November 1904–November 1908 Robert Anderson, November 1908–November 1912 P. L. Abernathy, November 1912–November 1914 Claude Orear, November 1914–November 1917 J. H. McClesky, November 1917–November 1919 George Harris, November 1919–November 1922 J. F. Sturdivant, November 1922–November 1925 L. D. Patterson, November 1925–November 1929 L. F. Stansel, November 1929–November 1931 William Lantrip, November 1931–November 1933 B. B. Glasgow, November 1933–November 1936 W. E. Morris, November 1936–November 1937 G. Fred Cooper, November 1937–November 1941

F. K. Gamble, November 1941–November 1942 J. M. Gibbs, November 1942–November 1949 Otis Kirby, November 1949–November 1953 W. Glenn Bartee, November 1953–November 1954 A. Tillman Sprouse, November 1954–October 1958 James Harris, October 1958–May 1963 Martin Coleman, June 1963–May 1965 Henry Gary, May 1965–May 1967 C. Ray Shubert, June 1967–June 1970 J. Grant Parris, June 1970–June 1975 Joe Moore, June 1975–June 1980 Hoyt Logan, June 1980–January 1985 J. Grant Parris, January–June 1985 Henry Golson, June 1985–June 1988 H. Mack Finney, June 1988–June 1992 George and Dorothy Scott, June 1992–June 1996 Calvin Gibson, June 1996–March 1998 Jerry Sims, June 1998–June 2002 David Commer, June 2002– Brandon Harris, June 2010– June 2016 Malinda Jowers Weaver, June 2016–

External links

• Avondale United Methodist Church website