Sunday, June 20, 1999
Sunday, June 20, 1999 |
In 1896, Washington Arnold moved into Fayette County, and not seeing a church in the area, he and others started one. It was to become the Holly Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was first under a brush arbor and then in an old abandoned house. It was important to them that their families be in church on Sunday. After a year in this location, they looked around to see how they might better their worship experience, plus they needed a school in the community for their children. A white neighbor, Flimester Arnold, gave them land to build their own church and he also gave them a stock of trees from which they acquired lumber for the project. In 1897 the first building was constructed on the site of the current church, on Holly Grove Church Road in what is now southern Peachtree City. By the 1940s the structure became old and unsafe and it the congregation decided to rebuild. The new structure stood until 1943 when a tornado completely demolished it, leaving only a Bible and a chair untouched. Again the congregation began a rebuilding project and in 1944 another new building was in place. In 1957 this building was remodeled inside and out and by 1969, the congregation was really progressing, both financially and spiritually. Many who had drifted away returned and in the mid 1970s the current structure was built. The senior pastor is the Rev. David Morrow and the associate pastor is the Rev. Frances McAlpin. They came to the church in June 1997. Morrow was born and reared in Palmetto, Ga. He had worked for the Sears Company for over 20 years, when he felt the call into ministry. He is currently enrolled at the International Theological Center, Atlanta. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Mamie, and they are the parents of four children — David, Delethia, Devon and Darren — and the grandparents of three — Joslyn, Deshawna and Deanthony. Sunday School is each Sunday at 10 a.m. with the worship service at 11 a.m. There is an evening prayer service each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Bible study follows at 7 p.m. The church is at 400 Holly Grove Church Road, which runs off both Redwine Road and Robinson Road. The church can be reached at 770-631-7650.
|
||||||