Our History

The circuit riders were no doubt visiting this area before the Civil War, and at the time of the outbreak of hostilities T.F. Glenn was preaching in Dunlap. After the war the records show that a Mr. Clenden was serving as a preacher in 1866.

The first meeting place of the Methodists in Dunlap was an old school house and they continued to gather there until the meeting place was moved to the courthouse. For a period of 70 years (1898 – 1968) the Dunlap Methodist Church occupied the oldest church building in Dunlap.It was a one room structure located near the present courthouse. The building had formerly been owned by the Primitive Baptist Church. On August 8, 1898, the trustees of the Primitive Baptist Church made a deed to the trustees of the Methodist Church. The price paid for the building was $502. The Methodist congregation occupied the building as a one-room structure until the first  addition was made in 1910 at the suggestion of the preacher, Jacob Lafayette Griffiths.

On September 16, 1965 a building committee was appointed. On June 2, 1967, after 21 months of planning, it was proposed that a new lot be purchased and built on. The plan was to sell the old church building, raise $40,000 in cash in 12 months, and borrow $40,000 payable in 120 monthly installments. The building was completed in July of 1968 at a total cost of $123,000.
The dedication service for the new building was held July 14,1968, with W. M. Seymour presiding.