This past June, three United Methodist preachers took part in a centuries-old tradition, moving on the same day, and they moved to Fayette County from as far away as New Mexico.

The Rev. Doug Burrell, Inman United Methodist Church, the Rev. Frank Long Jr., North Fayette United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Ricky McFarland, Friendship United Methodist Church, all arrived Thursday, June 17.

The Methodist Church was an outgrowth of the circuit ministry in the early 1730s organized by John Wesley. He and his brother Charles came to Savannah with James Oglethorpe.

Wesley was a preacher with the Church of England and he and his brother were ridiculed both in England and in Georgia as “Bible bigots” and “methodists” because they spent so much time in methodical prayer and Bible reading.

John Wesley believed in circuit preachers and when he went back to England just a couple years after arriving in Savannah, he had trained several men here in the United States to carry on this tradition. Back in England, he would have preachers meet him at a church on Sunday morning and then assign them various churches at which to preach.

By the mid-1800s in the United States, instead of circuit riders being out “on the road” for two and three months at a time, they were assigned just four churches. One of these would provide the parsonage for the preacher to live in as its contribution. As congregations grew in size, and more and more preachers were assigned to just one church, that meant that those receiving new churches all had to move on the same day.

Those moving in the North Georgia Methodist Conference do so on the third Thursday of the third week in June. Those moving out must do so by noon and those moving in cannot do so until after 2 p.m. In some instances, though, a church may not provide an already furnished parsonage and the preacher will buy a house.

The Rev. Doug Burrell was born in Hall County and reared in the general Atlanta area. He first felt pulled into the ministry in his teens and was a graduate of Southern Seminary, Louisville, Ky. in 1982. Before coming here, he served at First United Methodist Church in Carrollton, Ga.

He is married to Diane Bond Burrell and they have two children, Mary Ann, 13, and David, 10.

The Rev. Frank Long was born and reared in the Atlanta area. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Berry College and a master of divinity, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, having graduated in 1984.

Before coming to Fayette County, he served a church in Marietta, the Mountain View United Methdodist Church.

He is married to a former Texan, Mary Hollingsworth, and they have two daughters, Laura, 16, and Hannah, 14.

Entering the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in the fall, the Rev. Ricky McFarland was born and reared in Albuquerque, N.M.

He received his B.S. degree in natural science and his B.A. in religion.

He and his wife, Bunny, have commented that they find Fayette County “absolutely gorgeous. We are excited to begin our ministry in such a lovely and friendly place.”

Commented Long, “Along with my family, I am very pleased to come to Fayette County and begin a ministry in this place. I am anxious to learn what God has in store for us here.”

“To settle in a community with strong traditional values, Inman fits the bill. It's like coming to Mayberry,” said Burrell.

To find out more about the United Methodist Church, visit its web page at www.umc.org/.

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