History of Druid Hills United Methodist Church, 1910-2010

At the turn of the 20th century the planned development of Joel Hurt and Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. was the talk of Atlanta. To Methodist leaders, especially Rev. T. R. Kendall of Grace Methodist Church, the talk suggested three things: that the east trolley line, which then ended at Copenhill (near the present Freedom Parkway), would be extended, that the new development, Druid Hills, would be immensely successful, and that a Methodist church would be needed. So in late 1900 a wooden building was built on a lot at the corner of Vaud and Highland Avenues to house afternoon Sunday School classes, singing, and occasional preaching. It was called Copenhill Mission, and among its fruits were two Sunday School classes that would become the nucleus of Druid Hills Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They were the lively Susannah Wesley Class and the corresponding Men’s Bible Class, whose teacher, Judge John S. Candler, was the brother of conference leader and soon-to-be bishop Warren
Candler.
 
On January 9, 1910, twenty-five members and their new pastor, Rev. Edward G. Mackay, opened Copenhill Mission to the public, using the name of the Druid Hills neighborhood; that day eleven more joined. They wasted no time in buying a lot at the corner of Blue Ridgeand Seminole Avenues for a sanctuary, which was completed in 1912. Andrew Carnegie helped purchase the pipe organ, and Trinity Methodist Church gave its bell, which had graced its belfry since 1874. After World War I the young Druid Hills church added an education building (in 1923) that can still be seen on Blue Ridge Avenue. From the beginning the church looked to the needs of the world, and in 1925 Druid Hills honored its own early supporters by providing members and funds to establish a new church, Haygood Memorial.
 
The WWII years presented a special challenge – eleven church families lost sons. The succeeding years brought a population surge to Atlanta, and a need for a larger building. In 1946, 4.2 acres on Ponce de Leon Avenue were made available by Judge John S. Candler. His French colonial house there had been the first home completed in Druid Hills. In 1952 architect Ernest Ivey was charged with the design of the new building; he too was an active church member, and a partner in the prominent firm of Ivey and Crook, which was noted for its classically designed churches and schools, including Druid Hills High School and several Emory University buildings.
 
The new sanctuary, seating 850, was opened on Sunday, March 20, 1955 to an overflowing congregation, which had been summoned by the relocated Trinity bell. The Möller pipe organ, which had been installed in 1951 in the old building, also made the move successfully, under the guidance of choir-director/organist Miss Ethel Beyer. Miss Ethel was by that time nearing the end of her remarkable 1918-1968 tenure.
 
Druid Hills remained centered on missions, and in 1947 began a long sponsorship of Rev. Carlisle Phillips and his family, who served first in China and then in Taiwan. Rev. Phillips had grown up at Druid Hills, and the church he and his wife Ruth began in Taiwan still flourishes.
 
In the annual campaign of 1965, 895 pledges representing 1113 families were received, but during that first decade in the new building painful challenges to the city arose, due to racial inequality. The resulting population shift resulted in decades of increased ministries to the poor, staff reductions, and a greater reliance on volunteers. In 1998 the church was able to modernize the sanctuary, with reduced seating (600), a larger and more flexible chancel area, refurbished pipes for the organ, and an elevator. By that time young people had begun purchasing homes in the area, and the faithful remnant once again enjoyed the laughter of children, both on Sundays and weekdays; the pre-school (begun in 1982) still operates daily, serving about 200 children.
 
In the early years of the 21st century, the church began to more regularly fund all of its United Methodist mission apportionments, engage in interfaith explorations, send mission teams repeatedly both to Kenya and to New Orleans, and reach out to people often excluded, such as the gay and lesbian community. This centennial year, 2010, brought several encouraging developments. The church purchased for the sanctuary an art installation, “Stages of Faith,” by Rev. Mary Logan. In September a gymnasium modernization ($400,000) was completed in a long-term lease agreement with Atlanta Public Schools. The multi-church ministry begun in 1971 as the Druid Hills Churches’ Community Center, in the church parsonage, was reborn as Intown Collaborative Ministries, an interfaith effort to serve poor and homeless people; DHUMC now provides the space for the food pantry. Solar panels were installed on the roof of the educational building, producing electricity purchased by Georgia Power, as part of a “green” ministry.
 
For 100 years, Druid Hills United Methodist Church has attempted to faithfully respond to the call to serve God’s people in the community, and, as our denomination proclaims, “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”  Our local expression of that mission statement is “Radical Love is Here.”  The hope is that we will learn how to live into the fullness of those words.