Sunday, October 10, 1999
Sunday, October 10, 1999 |
The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, traveled on a horse to visit all the churches on a circuit. The Rev. Earl F. Dabney may travel a Methodist circuit, but he does so in the comfort of an automobile. He oversees three churches in Fayette County: Merrill Chapel, New Hope and Hartford United Methodist churches. All the churches were begun shortly after the War Between The States and, as was common to churches of that day, they began under a brush arbor. In the case of New Hope, the first congregation began in 1872 and the first organizers were Jack Ivory, Spencer Gay and Jessie Grooms. Just 15 years after slavery ended, they built the first permanent building. In 1954 parts of the older church was used to build a new one. The original steps are still in use to remind everyone of those first members. Georgia Power Company has given the church additional land so that the cemetery could be expanded. The church currently has 190 members and is at 618 Inman Road, Inman Community. The Hartford church has an interesting beginning. Also dating back to 1872, a white missionary from Hartford, Conn. came to Fayette to teach blacks how to read. He was found one morning drowned in Line Creek, presumably because of his missionary efforts. The church members did not have any idea who his family was or how to reach them; they just knew where he was from. He was buried near the creek where he was found. Though his name has been lost in antiquity, the name of his home town remains a part of Fayette County history. Some of the early names in the church are Price, Arnold, Allen, Ward, Freeman, Matthews, Westmoreland, Grooms, Weston, McIntosh, Hand, Peek, Brassell, Henderson, Page, Hayes and Blindberg. The church currently has a membership of 75 persons and is across from Starr's Mill at 202 Padgett Road. Merrill Chapel dates back to 1877, at which time an acre of land was purchased from S. F. Blalock for $15 with Jacob Arnold, George Matthews, Wesley Arnold and Robert Arnold as the church trustees. The church was remodeled in 1953 with these families participating: White, Cofield, Ringer, Goodson, Love and Murphy. It has a membership of 90 persons and is at 430 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville. The pastor of the churches is the Rev. Earl F. Dabney, who has been with them for eight years. He was born and reared in Newport News, Va. He was a medical specialist in the U.S. Army for several years and ended up at Ft. PcPherson. He received his BA degree from Norfolk State University, master of social work from Atlanta University, and his master of divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta. He is married to the former Dr. Betty L. Dabney, who was a teacher and principal in the Fulton County schools for 32 years. They are the parents of Earllovette, who is a graduate of Clark-Atlanta University and is a TV reporter in California; and Jon, who is a graduate of Morehouse University with a degree in marketing. He lives in Douglasville. The Dabneys have one grandchild. Dabney enjoys cooking, fishing, hunting and reading and collects old jazz. His love of cooking has led him to be famous for his chow-chow and, after retirement, he is thinking of going into that business. “I enjoy seeing something grow,” he said. “To see how God takes a little seed and feeds us is a humbling experience.” He serves the churches in the following manner: first Sunday Hartford UMC, second Sunday New Hope UMC, third Sunday joint services, fourth Sunday Merrill Chapel UMC. He can be reached at 770-461-2584 or 404-696-0512.
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