Asbury United Methodist Church is a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

church in the

Savannah Victorian Historic District The Savannah Victorian Historic District is a historic district in Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Establ ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. The church was founded in 1871 and moved to its current location in 1927.

History

The church traces its history to the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, when several black Methodists began holding church service without formal affiliation with any established church in the city. In 1871,

Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

Charles O. Fisher of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

founded the church with 50 members. The church was named after Methodist bishop

Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was a British-American Methodist minister who became one of the first two bishop (Methodist), bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the col ...

. Early in its history, the church used several buildings, including one near Savannah Union Station. In 1927, the church moved to its current location, a church building purchased from Bull Street Baptist Church located on

Abercorn Street Abercorn Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Drayton Street to the west and Lincoln Street to the east, it runs for about from East Bay Street (Savannah, Georgia), Bay Street in the north to Georgi ...

in the

. This building had been constructed in 1887 and partially rebuilt following damage from the

1896 Cedar Keys hurricane The 1896 Cedar Keys hurricane was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that devastated much of the East Coast of the United States, starting with Florida's Cedar Key, Florida, Cedar Keys, near the end of September 1896. The storm's rapid ...

. The building incorporates elements of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

, including twin towers flanking the front of the building and arched windows. The church is the only African American United Methodist Church in the Victorian Historic District. In 2019, the church building was placed on the

Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the United States' largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organization with more than 8,000 members. Founded in 1973 by Mary Gregory Jewett and others, the Trust is committed to preserving and enhanc ...

's list of Places in Peril.

Water damage Water damage describes various possible losses caused by water intruding where it will enable attack of a material or system by destructive processes such as rotting of wood, mold growth, bacteria growth, rusting of steel, swelling of composit ...

has left parts of the building unusable for the congregation. In the preceding years, the congregation had debated finding a new place of worship, but decided instead to raise funds necessary for repairs and improvements.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{Official website, http://www.asburyumcsavannah.com/ 1871 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) African-American churches in Georgia (U.S. state) Churches in Savannah, Georgia Historic district contributing properties in Georgia (U.S. state) Religious organizations established in 1871 United Methodist churches in Georgia (U.S. state)

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links