The History of Eureka Methodist Church

The Eureka Methodist Church was founded in 1891 with land which was given for the church by Thomas and Fannie Jones. The deed was dated November, 1891.

The building was constructed in 1892, and the church joined the North Alabama Conference in 1893. The original pews, which were built by John W. Compton, are still in use. They were, at first, built with the backs straight. In recent years the backs were tilted a bit and the pews were varnished.

Joe Spencer was the first minister and the first service was opened with the song, "Oh, Happy Day."

Up until 1912, Eureka was a thriving community and the attendance was good. Then, many people moved from the community and the church suffered one of its down periods. It was revived under the leadership of Rev. Guy Ponder in the mid-1920's. The church went well again for about 15 more years. Then, services stopped because a storm hit the building and left it leaning to one side. The depression made it impossible to repair at that time.

The adjacent property belonging to the Jones family was later sold and because the church was not being used, the new owner assumed the church building was part of his property and began storing hay there. Pieces of hay can still be found in the attic of the building.

The Eureka Home Demonstration Club was organized in 1944, and members became concerned about a place to worship. They decided to see who held the deeds to the church property. They found that a man by the name of Bernard Schmidt had tried to have a Sunday school class on Sunday afternoons at the church a few years prior. However, when he left the community, he gave the deeds to Mrs. Jenieve Ellis, a member of the church and of the Home Demonstration Club. They found the property belonged to the North Alabama Conference. The club sponsored a clean-up and restoration program and this started the church into revival. The pastor of the Lincoln Methodist Church volunteered his help during the years of 1944 to 1947. He did a great deal to start the church on an upward climb. his name was Rev. S.D. Lankford. Revival was held once a year as well as a singing school before each revival.

Mr. and Mrs. John Ellis, who had returned to Eureka in 1932 were members of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln. Because Jenieve's mother Helen Watson was charter member of Eureka United Methodist Church, they played a great part in the financing of the church through the years. It was once a one room church with a wood-burning heater. Three rooms were were added to the back of the church sometime after 1947. The floors were later carpeted, altar rails were built, and new furniture was added. The wood stove was exchanged for gas heat and air conditioning. Rest rooms, water coolers, and an educational room were also added. In 1985 the fellowship hall with a kitchen was added to the facility.

In recent years many improvements have been made to the facility as well as continued growth in the area of community outreach and support:

September 2005: Young adult Sunday school class formed.

October 2005: Children's nursery was opened. A fall festival was held for all of the community children.

July 2006: First Vacation Bible School.

January 2007: First Wednesday fellowship meals began. The local community is invited to participate in food, fellowship, and fun on the first Wednesday of every month.

June 2007: The children's playground was built in preparation for Vacation Bible School.

September 2007: The lighted cross was installed on the front of the sanctuary.

January 2008: A mobile office was moved in and renovated to serve as the "Children's Ark." This space was used for nursery and the begining of a youth Sunday school class. A 1000 square foot deck was constructed to connect the Ark to the existing building.

March 2009: The steeple was installed on the sanctuary.

July 2009: Youth department was formed with volunteer leaders.

July 2009: The kitchen and fellowship hall were remodeled with new cabinets, counters, and flooring.

August 2009: A newer, larger building was brought in replace the original Ark building. It is often referred to Ark II. It provides 2200 square feet of self contained space complete with its own kitchen and rest rooms. It houses the nursery and School classes for the preschool age, elementary age, and the young adults. It has additional space for storage and future growth as well.

July 2012: The aging light globes in the sanctuary were replaced with updated chandeliers and the wiring in the building was replaced.

September 2013: The parking lot was expanded by widening the parking area to include parking on the opposite side of the lot from the church and past the block wall bordering the playground. An improved drainage system was also put in place at the northeast corner of the parking lot.

June-September 2014: The old choir loft was removed which opened up the stage area. New pew cushions were installed and new carpeting was installed in the sanctuary.

2015 An 80" TV, an Apple TV unit, and some new sound equipment were installed allowing for multimedia presentations and cleaner sound throughout the sanctuary.