Mt Bethel United Methodist Church McDonough GA

Mount Bethel is a United Methodist Church located in the Ola Community. Each Sunday, we have Sunday School at 9:45 and Worship at 11:00. All are welcome!

 

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https://www.ngumc.org/churchdetail/3771327  

 

 

From McDonough
Travel east from the McDonough square on Keys Ferry St. (GA-20E/GA-81E).
Continue to follow GA-81E.
Take a slight right on Mt. Bethel Rd. and a quick right into the parking lot.
Mt. Bethel is 9.0 miles from the McDonough Square.

From Conyers
Travel south on GA-20 from Conyers.
At the four-way stop just past Kroger, stay straight to continue on GA-212 for 5.6 miles.
Turn right on GA-81 and travel west for 4.2 miles.
Take a hard left on Mt. Bethel Rd. followed by a quick right into the parking lot.

From Covington
Travel south/west on Washington Street (GA-81).
Continue to follow GA-81 for 14.7 miles.
Take a hard left on Mt. Bethel Rd. followed by a quick right into the parking lot.  

Please share parking information and/or parking experience!  

 

 

 

In 2008, Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church celebrated its 175th year of ministry in Henry County. Although Mt. Bethel has concrete documentation to support its establishment in 1833, there is reason to believe that it's roots began as early as 1821 as the "Flowers Meeting House".

The first settlers moved to the area after the Creek Indians ceded much of the land of the State of Georgia in 1821. Those early inhabitants brought their faith with them and expressed their reverence and gratitude by holding services in homes before churches could be established.

On August 10, 1833, one acre of land in Henry County was deeded to five Trustees for the purpose of instituting a school and establishing a Methodist Episcopal Meeting House. Worship likely began under a primative brush arbor until a small log church could be constructed.

Not much is known about the circumstances of the people of Mt. Bethel during the Civil War, but history books tell us that toward the end of the war, the conflict actually came to Henry County. As Sherman's troops marched to Savannah, they traveled directly through the community. Records show that General Hood's divisions (20,000+ confederate soldiers) made camp less than two miles from where the church stands today.

In 1865, the church was rebuilt, this time from hand-planed lumber with split boards to cover the corners, and mortised and penned together with wooden pegs. Common etiquette and social behaviors were a little different during that time. It has been recorded that during this time, men and women actually didn't sit together in church - the men on one side, the women on the other. The church continued to thrive and grow in the years that followed the war between the states as a part of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Between 1850 and 1900, "enthusiastic" prayer meetings were held at the church building on Sunday nights and the Methodist classes continued to meet in homes on Wednesday nights.

In 1885, the pastor's salary was $80 for the whole year. The practice for collecting funds to pay the pastor actually involved members going door to door within the congregation to collect this money. This practice actually continued well into the 20th century.

Around 1891, encouraged by the leadership of Rev. D.C. Brown, Mt. Bethel rebuilt again to accommodate for larger gatherings. The new church was a frame building with 2,088 square feet. With the new building, Sunday School classes found space to begin meeting. Early Sunday School classes included the "Little People Class", the "Illustrated Lesson Paper Class", and the "Senior Class".

By 1910, the membership of Mt. Bethel reached 206. Less than ten years later, in 1919, the membership exceeded 240. By that time, the community around Mt. Bethel was primarly a rural, farming community. Residents worked from sun up to sun down and lived very modest lives, learning to be very resourceful and interdependent as a community. Amazingly, at the onset of the Great Depression, the church rebuilt again, this time because the trustees of the church deemed the building unfit and actually condemned the structure. On April 10, 1938, the congregation moved into a new brick church and had all indebtedness paid off by the following year.

In all of Methodism, there is a tradition that began around the time of the American Revolution known as Campmeeting. These meetings were week- or two-week-long gatherings of Christians from an entire region when the traveling, itenerant preachers would come to town. Once there were more ordained elders and preaching circuits became smaller, campmeetings became a once-per-year tradition of meeting with other congregations for worship with a guest preacher or group of guest preachers. The local campmeeting in Henry County has been known as Shingleroof, and in 1944, Mt. Bethel constructed a cabin at the campground for use by her members. It was used for several years for spiritual retreat as well as hosting several families and youth groups until it was sold.

In 1946, Mt. Bethel was the one of the first churches in the area to host a Boy Scout Troop and reported 22 Tenderfoot Scouts in it's first year. Since then, the church has continued to support scouting ministries and seen many boys grow into manhood under this influence. In 1985, land was given to the church for use by the Scouts, and in 1994, construction on the Eagle's Nest, our Scout Hut, was completed on Winn Road where the Scouts meet to this day.

As a part of the Methodist connectional system, Mt. Bethel has been coupled with several other local churches and shared the ministry of several ministers over the years. Originally, the circuit included dozens of churches and likely extended well into South Carolina and Tennessee. As circuits became smaller, Mt. Bethel was partnered with Locust Grove, Philadelphia, and St. Paul. Later, as St. Paul closed, New Hope joined the circuit and as each church continued to grow, the circuit continued to evolve. In 1957, McDonough First United Methodist was the first in the area to go full-time, meaning that they had grown to the point that they could support their own pastor. Leaving Turner UMC in need of a circuit, Mt. Bethel restructured again and became part of the Mt. Bethel-Turner Charge. Finally, in 1993, Mt. Bethel grew to a size sufficient to go full time as well.

While on its various circuits, Mt. Bethel was always the largest church with the most resources, and thus also provided the parsonage for the appointed pastor and his or her family. In 1959 and 1960, the first parsonage was constructed on donated land approximately one-third of a mile from the church building. Tragically, on Christmas Eve of 1961, the parsonage burned and was rebuilt in 1962-63 and consecrated on May 5, 1965.

The same year, the church building was expanded and new bathrooms were installed, a nursery space was created, and a choir was formed under the leadership of Richard Barham. Later, in 1973, another expansion took place to add more Sunday School space was added along with a choir room, all on a second floor above a new fellowship hall. The sanctuary was also expanded to add more rows of pews and to make space for a choir loft.

In 1978, Mt. Bethel's Men's Club was formed under the creativity of a handful of committed men. After the advising of a member from a neighboring church, the Men's Club officially became a chartered chapter of the United Methodist Men shortly after its initial meeting. Since then, the group has been making an impact in the community from building the Eagle's Nest for the Scouts, to hosting community events such as an annual barbeque, to working on basic home repairs for local residents in need.

The UMM has had a counterpart that has been in existence much longer than it has. The Women began meeting in the early twentieth century for the purpose of faith development and mission service. Originally known as the Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS), as the Methodist Church continued to develop and change on a global level, the name was changed to the United Methodist Women (UMW), though their impact in local and global missions continues to be as potent as before. Their touch can be seen throughout the church building in particular, with the creation of Mt. Bethel's Chrismon Tree in Advent of 1993 and the display of a Chrismon quilt in the church halls. In recent years, a second womens group, the Sisters In Christ has been formed for some of the same function, but as mainly a different group of women in different stages of life.

The largest building addition for Mt. Bethel took place in 2002 and 2003. On November 15, 2003, a new wing at Mt. Bethel was consecrated to God for ministry. This facility includes a large fellowship hall, library, office space, classroom space, nursery, and youth space. It has been a blessing to its members and the community as a place to meet, fellowship, study, and learn.

As the people of Mt. Bethel continue to move forward in ministry, we anticipate and expect God to bless Henry County through us in the next 176 years. As rich as the tradition has been within this congregation, we believe that God's greatest plans still lie in the future and we are excited by the possibilities.