Additional history will be added throughout the year - please come back often!

The following is condensed from Dr. Rhoda Ellison’s book, "The Story of Centreville United Methodist Church 1889-1989." Thanks to Lamar Calloway for his work on writing this condensed version.

A hundred years ago, Centreville Methodists had no church of their own in which to worship. On Sunday mornings they might travel by horse and buggy three miles through sand beds or mud to Sandy Chapel or they might visit the Presbyterian Church on Court Square.

Early Methodist settlers had bought a lot on Cedar Street in Centreville for the grand sum of $5.00. However, the congregation disbanded in 1860 and no church was built.

In 1889 the Centreville Circuit was formed. It was comprised of Centreville, Sandy Chapel, Wesley Chapel, Fairview (later called Pondville) and Friendship, a small congregation 2 ½ miles northwest of Pondville. This congregation met in the local schoolhouse. The pastor traveled over country roads to serve all these churches.

On December 12, 1889, the Centreville Blade-Enterprise announced: "The Methodists of our town with that zeal so characteristic of Methodism, have gone quietly to work to build them a house." The new church on Cedar Street was constructed by volunteers. The first service was held in the new building in November 1890.

Chapter 2 (Condensed}

The early church in Centreville faced many financial problems. The decade of the 1890’s was not a good period to begin any enterprise, even a church. The financial panic of 1893 had thrown a pall over the entire country. The branch of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was not completed through the county seat until 1898. Business in Centreville remained slow, particularly when compared with its industrial neighbor, West Blocton. Farming was still the way of life. It was not until 1918 that the W. E. Belcher Lumber Co. brought its vital sawmill industry to Four Points. Their first office was opened uptown over Meigs Drug Store (now J & S Drugs).

Attendance at worship services during these early hard years was good. Small towns enjoyed few public entertainments. The Sunday services filled an important social need. During these times, when no local church could supply a preacher twice every Sunday, members of each denominations often worshiped with the others. Visiting preachers filled each other’s pulpits to draw better attendance.

None of these ministers were satisfied with mere attendance; their mission was to save souls. One minister said, "The spiritual condition of the church is not what it should be." The problem was seen as not so much wickedness as indifference and worldliness. "The young people at Centreville have been giving us trouble by engaging in dancing and other worldly amusements." A good many of our members seem careless and unconcerned about their church obligations."

"Lighting the flame" proved more difficult than erecting the building on Cedar Street. Yet, the pastors of Centreville United Methodist Church have continued their endeavor, each in his own way, and with varying degrees of success.

Chapter 3 (Condensed)

The Sunday School Challenges the Church

As early as 1837, Sunday schools existed in Methodist churches in Bibb County. In 1844, Sandy Chapel has two superintendents, seven teachers and twenty-eight pupils. The first Sunday School at Centreville Methodist Church was organized on September 5, 1890, two months before the sanctuary was completed. Twenty-seven persons were enrolled.

The Sunday School improved during its first two decades, but it did not grow as fast as the church membership. "It was hampered," Mr. John T. Ellison recalled, "by lack of teachers and an efficient superintendent." The Sunday Schools at Pondville and Friendship had to close during the winter months because they had no heat in their buildings.

In May 1903 Dr. and Mrs. S. C. Meigs moved to Centerville and opened a drug store in a building just below the present Spiller Furniture Co. Dr. Meigs became Sunday School Superintendent some five years later. The Sunday School grew under Dr. Meigs’ leadership and soon had a larger membership than the church did.

Through the years since 1909, The Sunday School has not usually been better attended than the congregational services, nor has it been able to claim more members than the church register, but it has remained in its proper role of chief support to the church.

Chapter 4 (Condensed)

The Women’s Society Comes to the Rescue

The pastors of the early church on Cedar Street held missions very close to their hearts, especially foreign missions. Yet, the Centreville circuit often seemed indifferent. A few laymen even expressed outright hostility. The foreign mission field was as remote from the concern of most of the congregation as it was on the map.

The General Conference realized the men "supported the ministry", that paid the preacher, and the women were more likely to take care of missions. As a result, the Discipline was changed to call for both home and foreign missionary societies. But, like the men, the women of the Centreville Church were more concerned about the needs of the home church.

After 1899, the Women’s Home Missionary Society found numerous calls on their pocket books and on their business ingenuity. They were few in number, six in 1901, eight in 1905 and nine in 1908.

One of the chief responsibilities of the women’s society was the care of the parsonage. The group assisted in paying bills for the parsonage and the church. They gave $11.28 for the parsonage debt, chairs for the church, gravel walk to the church, repairs to Parsonage roof and church flue, new steps and new flooring in the vestibule, varnished the benches, replaced broken window panes and painted the interior of the church.

These projects were financed by various fund raising efforts. The ingenuity and industry of the ladies explain how their Home Missionary Society was able to come to the rescue of many a project or emergency in their church.

Chapter 6 (Condensed)

The Church Weathers the Depression

Like the rest of the country, Centreville and its three churches ---- Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist – survived the 1930’s as cheerfully as possible. During this time, the small congregation was drawn into a closer fellowship. Their chief problems were, of course financial, how to pay the preacher, meet the Conference assessments, and keep up the church buildings and programs. The pastor’s salary for the five church charge had dropped to an unsatisfactory level. In 1931 the [pastor was paid $1364 in 1931 and $1076 in 1933.

Senior members of the Official Board called in person on members of the congregation in an attempt to collect enough money to pay the preacher. Some parishioners, who had no cash, sent sweet potatoes, sorghum syrup and chickens to the parsonage.

The congregation made it through the decade of hard times. By the 1940s, they were looking forward to a period of growth again.

Chapter 7 (Condensed)

The Church Builds on Valley Street

The county gave the church a lot on Valley Street and the adjoining lot was purchased in order to have space to build a parsonage. The eventual size of the church property was 1.58 acres, according to surveyor William T. (Bill) Ogletree.

The Annual Conference granted the church’s request for a full time pastor in 1947. The pastor’s salary was set at $2400 and the newly formed Brent Circuit included the remaining churches of the old Centreville circuit, McDaniel Memorial, Sandy Chapel, Wesley Chapel, Pondville and Tabernacle.

The new sanctuary was crowded on opening day, May 29, 1949. Rev. Bill Pickard preached to a congregation of around 450 people.

Chapter 8 (Condensed)

The Church Survives the Troubled Sixties

The Sunday School grew throughout the decade of the sixties under the leadership of Howard Cleveland, Supt., Elia Daws, Children’s division and Fred Daws, adult division. The church experienced some traumatic times as a result of the civil rights movement. Dr. Ellison’s book contains very little about the problems the church faced during this time. The following is from newspaper and other accounts.

In 1968, when the church became the United Methodist Church, the Centreville UMC came under attack by the leadership of the town concerning the issue of integration of our churches.  The Centreville Press wrote articles attacking the decisions of the United Methodist Church.  But the leadership of the Centreville UMC remained strong and stood for the decision of the Conference that "All of God’s Children" were welcome in this church, regardless of their race, creed, or color.    A large number of the membership left the church and established a First Southern Methodist Church.   The Assembly of God Church now occupies this building, located on the Highway 82 by-pass. Some members eventually returned but the majority of the members of the church who had left did not return.

This experience was traumatic for the membership, but they rallied in loyalty to their church and carried on its work. The MYF elected a strong slate of officers in 1965: Che’ Lowrey, President, Donnie McCalla, Vice President, Gail Sparks, Secretary, Kerry Young, Treasurer. Walter Owens served as Counselor.

1. Byrd Moore    1889 –1892

2. J. W. Shores     1892-1893

3. J. W. Price     1893-1894

4. H. C. Threadgill     1894-1898

5. J. L. Skipper     1898-1900

6. W. R. Bickerstaff     1900 – 1902

7. J. S. F. Stephens     1902-1903

8. W. T. Rencher     1903-1904

9. J. R. Northcutt     1904-1905

10. James M. Glenn     1905-1907

11. D. B. Dismukes    1907-1908

12. C. H. Motley    1908-1910

13. M. E. Lazenby    1910-1914

14. J. A. Seale    1914-1916

15. Caleb Bates    1916-1919

16. I. F. Bilbro    1919-1920

17. C. H. Seibert    1920-May 1924

18. Paul Bates    May 1924-December 1924

19. C. P. Roberts    1924-1926

20. V. C. Herndon    1926-1927

21. I. W. May    1927-1930

22. E. M. Holman    1930-1931

23. H. M. Ellis    1931-1932

24. F. M. Lowrey    1932-1935

25. M. T. Moore    1935-1938

26. J. F. Bilbro    1938-1940

27. U. L. Martin    1940-1942

28. T. L. Maxey    1942-June 1945

29. N. R. Blocker    June 1945 - December 1945

30. W. M. Pickard    1945-1949

31. J. F. McLeod, Jr.    1949-1951

32. T. W. Ward    1951-1952

33. D. K. Christenberry    1952-1955

34. Don Marietta, Jr.    1955-1958

35. Marcus Smith    1958-1962

36. Herbert Hill    1962-1965

37. Robert I. Lawrence    1965-1970

38. Marcus Chandler    1970-1972

39. Norman Williams    1972-1974

40. Al Norris    1974-1977

41. Buddy Capps    1977-1978

42. Earle Temple    1978-1979

43. David Prince    1979-1982

44. Gary Perry    1982-1985

45. James Posey    1985-1993

46. Stephen Collins    1993-1996

47. Dan Nixon    1996-2001

48. LuAnne Wages-Smith    2001-2003

49. Wm. Glenn Walker    2003-present