The first Methodist society was organized
in Monroe in 1826. Circuit riders were assigned to visit Monroe and
nearby charges in that time. In 1853, a Union church was built for
the Protestant congregations. Each of them used the church
for one Sunday per month. The upper floor was used for Masonic lodge
meetings.
It was noted in the local paper that the church
was painted and repaired in 1866.
On November 14, 1869, the Nolly
Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, South was incorporated under the leadership
of Rev. R.S. Trippett. Land was purchased on the corner of Jackson
and Grammont Streets the following month (December 4). Rev. Trippett’s
successor, Rev. Charles N. Evans, was pastor when Nolly Chapel built a
brick church. While the church was still being completed, a school
for Protestant girls began on January 14, 1871.
The following year, the Union church burned down. In 1876, the church
collapsed under the weight of a 13” snowfall. The church returned
the building materials and the lot and the congregation was without a church.
In 1878, another lot was bought for $500 and donated to the church.
Rev. P.H. Moss led the congregation in building a new church.
The decision to relocate downtown
began under the leadership of Rev. E.N. Evans in the late 1890s.
Dr. James Lovick Pierce was pastor at the time of the completion of the
new brick church in 1899.
In the 1950s, Rev. George M.
Pomeroy began the drive for a new church, since the downtown area was in
decline. The first building constructed, the fellowship hall, was
used as a sanctuary for ten years. An education building was constructed
a few years after.
The current sanctuary was built
in 1980 under the leadership of Rev. Odell Simmons. The stained glass
windows depict Old and New Testament principles. A pipe organ was
added in the 1990s. The sanctuary’s mortgage was paid off in June
1997.
Source: FUMC Monroe Church Directory |
