Friendship United Methodist Church celebrates 109 years this year, and points to a rather unique beginning.

In 1890, two men from the area of present Ga. Highway 314 and Ga. Highway 279 attended the Bethany Methodist Church on Rivers Road. The Salvation Army held a meeting there and the men were so filled with the love of the Lord, that they began a church in their neighborhood.

Proud of its nearly 100 members, the church exhibited its "can-do" attitude by coming up with $16,000 necessary to put on a new roof and do a lot of necessary painting just a year ago. In fact, they put the needed funds together at a specially held meeting in just 25 minutes.

The pastor is the Rev. H. Ellis Freeman. He was born and reared in Troup County and did not enter the ministry until he was in his 40s. For the first 30 years of his life, he worked for Buffalo Rock Pepsi Company in LaGrange. Even though he first felt the pull into ministry at the age of 17, he finally heeded the call and graduated from LaGrange College and then Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

While at LaGrange College, he even had a couple of classes with his daughter, Hope.

He has served in churches in LaGrange, Pine Mountain, Franklin and Grantville and has served his present post for three and a half years.

He has been married to Jan for the past 36 years and they are the parents of two children, Hank and Hope.

"This church has a lot of loving people," said the Rev. Freeman. "and whenever I am called to serve somewhere else, I know the friendships I have made here will go on."

The Sunday morning worship begins at 11 a.m. Sunday school is 9:45-10:30 a.m. Bible Study is Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.