Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1896 I IliD / Tryon Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South 1859 DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Oft of (tl-Wiiam E. KXng First United IVfethodist Church Charlotte, North Carolina FirstUnited Methodist Church '^ Chariotte, North Carolma Mildred Morse McEwen 1983 ^IXjU^ 7'1L- ri\'^ f..^w/ Copyright © 1983 by First United Methodist Church, Charlotte, N. C. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 83-83201 Printed in the United States of America Heritage Printers, Inc. Charlotte, North Carolina IPS 30 \^%3 Tms BOOK is dedicated to the charter members of First United Methodist Church whose vision and efforts made this present church a reahty. Especially honored are those charter members who made many personal sacrifices during the depression years of the early 1930's to save this church. FOREWORD* By Jacob B. Golden, D.D. Writing a foreword for a volume I haven't read is a bit like describ- ing the taste of a soup I've never eaten, but having been intimately involved in much of the study and preparation for this history and knowing of the loving concern and justifiable pride that have gone into tliis "backward look" at the life of a great church, I feel in- spired to express my thoughts and feelings here and now. I confess to some of that "pride" myself. A look at the history of First United Methodist Church makes one aware of the struggle, the dedication, the perseverance of the "saints" in the face of some pretty diflBcult times. You likewise sense the costly commitment to Christ which makes up the past 50 years of this church and in- deed further back than that in the history of two great church families—Tryon Street and Trinity—who came together to become First United Methodist Church. It is truly a privilege to be a part of that tradition. But a "backward look" has value only if it helps us to see where we need to go. My "justifiable pride" in this church lies not simply in the knowledge of where we came from but also in the knowl- edge of where we are and where we intend to go. First Methodist Church is ministering today in exciting new ways. Even in the face of current "downtown church" problems—smaller membership, older median age, higher operating expenses and so forth—this church is speaking today of the love of God in Christ perhaps more eloquently than ever. Spend time around here on almost any day of the week, not just on Sunday, and you'll see what I mean. If the same kind of faith in and commitment to Christ which shines through the pages of this history be given to our members, the future of First United Methodist Church as a beacon of Christ's love in the city of Charlotte is assured. God grant us in the present that same faith and commitment so that our own history may one day read as weU as that of our fore- fathers in Christ! * The foreword was written when it was expected this history would be pubUshed on the fiftieth anniversary of the church in 1977, when Dr. Golden was senior minister. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Over a period of years, a Records and History Committee in First Methodist Church had kept a Memorial Book which Hsted gifts that individuals and organizations had made to the church. In 1975 Dr. Jacob B. Golden, senior minister at that time, greatly enlarged this committee and added the responsibility of planning a fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1977 and writing a history of First United Methodist Church. Mrs. Joe M. Van Hoy (Helen) was appointed general chairman of this committee and Charles J. Henderson was made chairman of the book committee. Mrs. George N. Scranton (Jeanne) became church archivist. The initial plan was for the history of First Methodist to begin when Tryon Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Trin- ity Methodist Episcopal Church, South, made the decision to re- combine and build one large uptown church. With the idea of having a Reader's Digest type of format, a number of the church members wrote articles for the projected history that was supposed to be finished in 1977. Finally, it was 1981 and the history had not yet been put together. During these years Jeanne Scranton had gathered church rec- ords that were in boxes stored in the furnace room and had spent many hours cataloging and getting all records and memorabilia into a History and Records suite of rooms. She deserves much of the credit for this history because without her monumental effort this book could not have been written. In 1981 Mildred Morse (Mrs. J. L. ) McEwen took on the re- sponsibihty of working all of the material into a history going back to the beginnings of Methodism. No by-lines have been used but this book contains the work of many people. Among those who con- tributed articles are: Kenneth Austin, Anne J. Batten, Mr. and Mrs. J. Webb (Clara) Bost, Mr. and Mrs. E. Raymond (Marie) Brietz, Mrs. Bruce (Marjorie) Cunningham, Mrs. John (Marjorie) Doug- las, Mrs. Parker (Peggy) Duncan, Charlie F. Floumoy, Kays Gary, Charles J. Henderson, Mrs. R. Pressley (Barbara) Hoover, Monroe M. Landreth, Jr., Mrs. Edyth Lewis, Barbara Lupo, Mrs. David (Joan) Miles, Hunter M. Jones, Mrs. Alan (Jeanne) New- IX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS comb, Mrs. Mack H. (Dorothy) Powers, Mrs. John C. (Ethel) Rhyne, John L. Rosenblatt, Mrs. George N. (Jeanne) Scranton, Henry B. Simpson, Mrs. Andrew (Mabel) Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Sam (Fay) Springs, Jr., Mrs. H. Watson (Travis) Stewart, Mrs. George F. (Mary) Stratton, Mrs. Wilson L. (Lura) Stratton, Mrs. Victor B. ( Stelle) Templeton, Mrs. Grady G. ( Georgel)Ti) Thomas, Dr. and Mrs. Joe M. (Helen) Van Hoy, Mrs. Charles (Nancy) ) Walkup, Mrs. Miles H. ( Jessie White, and Dr. Howard Wilkinson. There are others who have contributed to the writing of this book but their names are included in their "Memoirs." Special thanks should go to Martha F. (Marty) Washam, who was in charge of the graphics; to Mrs. Frank O. (Wincy) Porter for research and handHng book sales; to Mrs. LesHe (Lurlene) Bamhardt for the gift of many church related materials; to M. Sue Brown for typing the current church roll; to Mrs. Fred E. ( Causes) Smith for keeping the church roll up-to-date; to Mrs. Fred D. (Anna Clark) Stalhngs for typing and for proofreading the gal- leys; to Mr. and Mrs. J. Webb (Clara) Bost for distinguished ser- vice to the Records and History Committee; to Hortense Stone for transporting many boxes of historical materials back and forth be- tween Westfield Road and the Records and History rooms at the church; to Mrs. Raymond (Marie) Brietz, Mrs. A. L. (Belle) Howell, Mrs. George F. (Mary) Stratton, and Mrs. Wilson L. (Lma) Stratton for their many valuable services to the book conmiittee; to Mrs. Jack (Jean) Gilbert for handling pubhcity and book sales; to Miss Mae Tucker of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Pubhc Library for expertise in many areas; to Mrs. L. M. (Vir- ginia ) Walker for help in editing the manuscript; to Virgil Hurley and Fred Stalhngs for photographing many of the activities of the church; to William W. Hagood, Jr., the only living member of the original building committee, for reading the final manuscript and oflFering suggestions; to Dr. and Mrs. Joe Van Hoy for help in editing the manuscript; and to Mrs. Van Hoy for "keeping the wheels turning." Lastly many, many tlianks to those "saints" of First Church, who subsidized the publication of this history so that copies could be sold at about half the actual pubHcation cost. CONTENTS FOREWORD vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix 1 THE BEGINNINGS OF METHODISM 1 The "Holy Club" at Oxford; The Wesleys; George Whitefleld; The Wesleys' Trip to America; The Real Conversion of Charles and John Wesley; The Earliest Methodist Meeting Places; John Wesley's Home Life; Methodism Spreads in America; The United Methodist Church. 2 METHODISM COMES TO MECKLENBURG COUNTY 9 Introduction; Harrison Methodist Church (1785); Buck Hill Church (1815). 3 METHODISM COMES TO CHARLOTTE 13 Memoirs of the Reverend James Jenkins; The Earhest Meth- odist Church in the Town of Charlotte. 4 DR. DAVID R. DUNLAP 21 5 TRYON STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH (1859-1896) 24 Introduction; Tryon Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South; List of Members of Tryon Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South ( 1859); The Church Bell; Early Records in the Church Archives; The Rebuilding of Tryon Street Church in 1891 ; Description of the Rebuilt Tryon Street Church; Tryon Street Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Members in Early 1890's. 6 TRINITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH (1896-1927) AND TRYON STREET METHODIST EPIS- COPAL CHURCH, SOUTH (1896-1927) 41 Trinity Methodist Church; Members Transferring from Tryon Street to Trinity in 1896; Laying of the Cornerstone of Trinity; The Refurbishing of Tryon Street Church in 1908; Mementos of Tryon Street and Trinity Methodist Churches; Some Older Church Members Remember. 7 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 56 ( 1927-1939) First Methodist Episcopal Chiurch, South; ( 1939- 1968) First Methodist Episcopal Church; (1968-1983) First CONTENTS United Methodist Church; First Discussion of a Large Up- town Methodist Church; Tryon Street and Trinity Decide To Merge and Build a New Methodist Church; Building of the New Church in 1927; First Methodist Episcopal Church, South; Register of Charter Members of First Mediodist Epis- copal Church, South, Charlotte, North Carolina; Financial Difficulties; The Gold Wedding Ring; Physical Description of First United Methodist Church; The Bell Now at First United Methodist Church; Parsonages; First United Meth- odist Parsonages; Some Foundation Stones of First United Methodist Church; Uptown Churches Today; Renovations.