HISTORY or OXFORD METHODIST CHURCH

BY

w. £ CARLTON, CHURCH HISTORIAN

FOREWORD

To "Mila " Bzo,IIoIK_, Uncle Hath Thc:aJ*lD; Docter C. C. J8'l'e1l,

mel .~ill.7'" Mitch we are indebted far IIIUGh of the ater1al that appean ,

in this article.

other source I H18tory of ae 1& Methodi ,

Smith, Giant r1ainst the sq, Pierce• .l Hi toI";Y' ot .0l'1' Un1Tersit,.,

Bullock. Iaory UniTe-.it,- PIlb1icatiou, Source. and Reprinta, Seri

VI, Dumber 3. Library of Candler SChool of Theolog,., and t1nalJT Ire-.

obeerftt1 which the writer baa

1 e of Oztord and C1t7.

'l'h1s i8 by no _ana a ccaplete h1etorT of the oxtOl'd Church.

£ cCliplate hi8tory can never be writteD. For 8the loed _11 do" s.. not,

interred with their '1\1&.&_ but oontinues to lift after th to bl •

arrr, and perm.p. surpused by none in th~,••. And 1t is quite pz'Obable

the ~oing ot the Methodiat Church throughout the world. '1'h1a 1a due 111

verT ....ure to the cloae oorre ion between thia church d ory

Colleg tor m.ore th8D .. centu:r;y.

Let it be aid in the 1nn1na that thl.e 18 in no 11&7 to be

about ary tha~ en written in the • HcNever the hl8tory of the

Oxford Church oould ibl,. be

1nHPR&bU1t7 at that church md ar'T Coll e. Far would the-

history ot the Qxf'ord Church be without luch otal Alexander

I"IVI_. Atticus Haygood, J. • Moore, WBrre candler, d J8m E.

Dickey, to t10n oDly' • f,

BecauEl. ot ita a 1c 1 t1 the oztord Church through

the years h exerted a very gre infiuenee tor ood, not only thr ­

out G erg d neighboring tel, but n to t e uttermoe:t na.........

ot the h." young men who c to Emory Coll ge with no id

ot _ter the minis or 0 t th 1r live to the or

God the Church c tb Oxf'ord Church

dedicated 81.... vhol17 His million­

ar1u. Jo A. Sharp, C • DickeT, all or whca prates ion

tad... Ma.r17 oth r r turned to their hom I ae Chriat la;ymen, te.­

chQ'8, t , erchante, 8 temnen, School te h ,

aU 1 aJera in eir r pect:ve c d bulwark8 or the Church.

B7 no ean8 nre they all 1e hodi ta. '1'h th oxr Church m­

riched the 1%"itual ite ot the c urchea of diff

in 1118111' landa.

Oxtord appe in the minute ot the Georg Conterence

tor the tint tim in 1839, with Covington in thens Diatrict.

W. J. P lea the pres1 lder, and J. W. T 8'1' tor. We

reaained in the Athena Diatr1c1; untU lSSS~I~ .. were p'.lt in tb

Atlanta District, 11 H. a, pre id1 e , with W. • Br ­

baa putor of COY ton -'d oxt'ord, d II xandel" , upp1.T. In

1663 we veN pat in • new district bearing our l1Gl8, the OXford District.

G. W. l'ar'br h __ pre8iding • , C. B. tor, th

A. G. Ha ood and I. S. Hop .. E.OC tea. The cont reno aiD

~....a.tr1.cted in 1931, and the name atur-oxtord 1v n our di tr1ct.

3

;.'

Hath Thcllpaca eel preaid1n& e der and t Q. Loag putor. we are still in the o tut"..oxtard D1&trict.. W haft ...cord ot the

preaidin£ .....W'W ON t ev IT yur frCII 18.39 through 19S1

except 78 ~ , 18h4, 1848 tor which th 18 no &'ftUable

into tion.

tho h oxtord 11 d e cuit tor many, Ul17 s

we ure t re th without bing

errlces since t Ie in thoa ys both on the college

tacult1' us bility. As &

ot r t, at one t of err flYfIrT bel"' ot

the t ulty a ter, e t MUCh to the

apirit lite 0 tlt village. tho t eathe ular tor

of Oztord could hardly r t or r th his associate pastor wh

aueh lIeD ttioua. ood, Ale r eans, Ii Candler, anel

I. S. Hopldna ed in th t e ity.

The t1r ac: em1c se a10n at ary Coll e began in J: un, 18.39. Sine a plao on at the ch1e.t eoncems of the

co111118 tr , t tr bull er eted durinI the 8UJIII~

of 18.38 which .. uaed on SUr1dII1a ud tar ~ ~r.,I' (tv1oe NCh

dar). This old c 1 e tinu d to 1'ft &II • church untU IBbl vb_

the IIOld Church oampl ted.

In t d Church" .0 e ot th world's s1i md t

reachini .e have been d liverad:a Sll::~ chat'actera _ L.Q.C.

J:.aao, Yo J. Allen,. Att1c • Ha cod, and w.ren .. Candler

received th the aoul inapir t10n that th world c1tie ns of

the first a ..And II ould not perird.t the ot all the

Ulutri.ou 1I0Da at "01d • whoee torch a wre kindled at thOM

old altRIIJ under the " pre chi.nge of thoH aen ot God, .oat of

re 0 the t ulty ot ~trMr

P..hap& through the year. the oxtord Church ha been 1eJ:T8tt by bettR

m1n1aterial talent 8D1' other ch h of similar i.e in the .....

In 1854 w. R. Branb8ll.. e t to rYe the Qzt'ord-eovington

charge. From th t tim till n n bel'S or the -ha t~ in our church. W. R. DraMa, Jr., and h1a t8lll1l7 made

their h in axr rd af'ter hie retir ent. trail the ..,tive m:1n1 tr:r.

He ablT fill the pulpit trCID t1Jlle to t1me and .. actiTe in the

liltan-. ot church md oCllBUnit7, ArY1ng tenia on the toIm councU

and - or. Ria daughter, Br, is ~ 0 at. 1ent

ohurch treM r.

Mia ~~, ~ter of W. R~ ~, Sr. i.e • DMlber

Jof the or4 Cburah now, 98 ye alter h r taber first

Oxford _ putar. Far 78 year••be 1Ylqt 0 her t • talet or subs a, Oi~d ot heJoult to Oxtord Church

cae ... relief ..eaqll1n18ter1rw to tbon 1Jl need, both blat and wi••

Do1Ib11' bleaeec1ia that church or camnnmity tha:t; bere L1nft"

.0111 ita -.ber ..

Dur1nG .laver7 dap the negroee who had no dutie. to perf'ora wre

pr1Y1.1e1ed to tteDd the uJao unday aerYice... i tting on the laUel"1

vh1eh .. reee.rntd tar ttl.. S1mdq &fteruoODit there wre ..petia].

MrYio. tor in the re uJ.ar church ucl1torl\11, which they

were required to atteDd. :t tho 1865 88S81on of the North 080

CODtereDae, W. R. BrIDba ... preeid1.ng elder ot the A'tlanta Distr1ct.,

aDd M1lu W. Arno14 va .ent to Oxt'ord. 'l'ben th18 8dditianal _a1gnment

eppared in the 1I1nutU. Colored c •• J; W. y..brough.

The oztord Church .. ht :in the "\hiak ot the t htB' betw_

the North lad. the South 1n the controverq ... s1aTer7, which ~

... _tter ot t ,

UDed hospitaJ. 1862-64 during the

B1ehop iv d ill Oxford. and or oune h18;

e d to the ord Church. • e girl, Xitty, at1_:Jed

01 Church, and liT d in cnm cottage nurbT. Not

tw fro. t Andr 1~ 1n the OJttor C te atanda an hl}:ftl 1",.

urbl mw:-ke r to tt. th 8 irl, who through no fa.ult ot her

, or h r WlJI'Il,'t...... ed the divi ion of the thodist Church.

Ontb hi ory of portal th

that

t thia point ::. ~ not out of ~ to s

our Osrord C te1T which Uho Candler

IIl1n1 tel" bbe,. or a 1a MethVl.£.&.l_ .....~"'~ spot .leep

p:LC)l'lell'!':S ot ethod1sm in Georgia ot

th18 c etery' to tho nu~."CIl",T Coll • To

1nde :y 11'0 II

with 1 ..

tbm SD:¥ ther living (about 50 vna,'"g; 8~ of the reta

concerning he d Churc. a 'alKDIOt er, E1leD R 1Boa,

belonged to Presid nt Luth Sm11:J'l. his srandtather, Neil. Rob18C1D,

belcaged to Alexander • all"' I . tohen, m4

!rca her be learned much 0 ~ h Oxford.

toutTher is one v

OOllC; the cultural OIEtord,

Church of., d' Ulluual _

thq ba n.1o.red ill thia, hiator1e v11.lac" The esr 8 had

beDef1t ot th s.t each the:£ thod1 t urch could afford. _

.U ., the best 1n the tie or usical entertainaeDt, lect~, otc•

• ince all the Church.1II

v.a~s gal.1.e17 or, ttonded. Thus

d .-due ticma1

~l"'" Co11 • 01 urch which OLIITIL'~L"I"'''U

or the

i op C'al)«;Jnf; st1 th partit1 down the dd1e,. ~~.. dthew non ot •

n

OJd'ord to pr ticor th

th#die

~t Church.own

r,

r OX£or '. 0VI1

tar be eXJ;JresscKi h Otm l' i too that s1.A~M"V

f'01"fiIIl'r'd-looJdngabolished. It

dre • the cone us10n of e ernce. that tb

publ e \,

... copy ot thitJ into t hands of Georg • it t t

York in 1881,

~ H ood

and te:r 1'9 tn th cnfrenc tor -hundred thirty thousend doJ.:Lln,OUl' ~ 'or he g

in

•

Sen 7' Hall~thouo

Henr;y W. Or OI1thlll

d'31ive d for th t 'l'hIllnialg

,... ood in 1880. orted to hav said•

torch t

tuden at

ord, there re thr

boil".MlIP MooreI ill1

st. c

n1lJbed the thodist hurc

to or el e b sh p or futur b ho hav 1

Oxfordr £: orth. An(1re". CU&l~' aper , t'lck&7, anklln,

bT, Moor J e, T brother 1 w. J. :mel "

h l' IS nted Flori the U. • S nate. •

sented the" te or Miaa sippi in both ho

1688 appointed

~ia J tice of the rr. 3. Supr ,C te Vice-tlresld nt

J:.U.."m..r.~

pre.,

rsbipped in th Old

Churoh". Ithough not all these men were resident of Oxford, exoept a.

students~ yet the Oxford Churoh w their official church.

The tudents formerly lived in the Oxford homes and b oame, in many

instanoes, almost like memb rs ot the family. Practically all the homes had

family prayer, and th tud nt in most oases attended prayer with the

family. This influenoe had a far-reaching efteot for good upon the stUdents.

This situation togecher with the old rule requiring students to attend ohuroh

servioes aeh unday made it easier for the ohuroh to perfo its function

with regard to the stUdents.

The ollowing quotation oonoerning the influenoes of "Old Oxford" is

taken fro Bullook's History of Emory: "Whatever the inoidents which 1 d

them to it, many boys exp ri need e. religious quickening while students t

Emory whloh did not leave them thro 1 h all of lif.,. Many there gained the

dynamio of vital Christianit,y nd c~rried t in teaohing, preaohing, and in

private lives, to others. Whatever criticism today y pass upon the reli­

gious or duoational teohniques ot those time , many look d baok to their

student day. at Oxford as turning point in life. In aohieving this result

th oollege w • realizing primary aim of its founders and supporters."

In 186 there was a reat revival in whioh Young J. Alle took a very

prominent part. In 1882 under Attieu G. H ygood there was n unusually

uooessf'ul revival in whioh probably a many as hundred in the oommunity

and the oollege were oonverted. Under Dr. Candler it wasn't unoommon for

revival just to "vre k out" under his preaohing or that of Dr. J. • Hoore.

Then they would "strike While the iron was hot, It and a gr ad revival 'WOuld

en ue. During Dr. Dickey's dmin1str tion Rev. • O. Crawl y, wh we. pastor of the Oxford Churoh at the time, oonduoted a very suooessful r vival in

ioh many were converted or reolaimed.

Dr. Candl r not only attended the ednesday nig t prayer servioes,

but he generally conduoted them also. Dr. Diokey likewise wa a rebular

attendant at prayer meeting and frequently 1 d the service. "Billy"

lli tohe11 is author!ty for the statement t at on one stormy ednesday night

t the "Old Churoh" there was nobody present exo pt Dr. Dickey and H h

owell. But Dr. Dickey oonduot d the prayer service anyway. Mr. Ho 11

v rifled this t tement. (He 8 fd he was janitor and had to be ther ~r

Our present ohurch, Young J. Allen Memorial, was oompleted in 1910

while Dr. Diokey wn president of ory. The Old Churoh was radually

abandoned and tell into disrepair. But in 1932 it was restored throu h the

untiring efforts of Bishop Candler. Perhaps one of the most impressive

serviaes ver held in that historio old buildin was the funeral of that

di tinguished churohman. On that oooasion Bishops Ainsworth, Darlington,

Moore, Kern, and atkins ere on the platform th ministers and others

from all walks of life who had athered to pay homage to one of th reat

oull of the age.

evera! years after Bishop Candler' deatl the "Old Churoh,"

beoause of negleot and disuse, again had to be restored. hrough the

organized efforts of Bishop Yoore and others, and under the general direo­

tion of Bishop Moor, this was aooomplished in 1949. The building is now

in good oondttion, having an apartm nt whioh aooommodate two oollege

students ho aot as oaretaker. The lad! s of the SCS hold their g nerel

meeting on the first onday night in eaoh month in he "Conferenoe Room"

a thi buildin. The plrltual Life Group of th WSCS also holds its

meetings th re on the seoond and fourth Wednesday afternoon. The ocmm no ­

m nt exeroises 0(' Emory-at.-Oxford are now being held eaoh spring in thi

"Old Churoh." So it is to be hoped that it will oontinue to serve a useful

purpostor many yearl to come 1

as Iwell I'

as stand as a s in. and memorial

to Oxtord's and Emory's illustriohs of other years.\

As has alrea~ been stated. our present churoh a8 oompleted in 1910.

a memorial to the pione r missionary to China. Young J. Allen. Altho h

this buildln is the property of Emory University. the village of Oxford 1\

has enjoyed its use for theBe fort one years practically rree of eharge

to mo of th tim. At present, e are Payin the University a small

amount for use of the building and r heating and janitQr servioe. This

is a very beautiful and orshipfu1 anotuary whioh is found in few villag s

like Oxford. and hiuh w~ ~ould not have ad exo pt tor Emory CoIl gee

The Oxford Church has always been a Hveral ohuroh. It always pays

its assessments in full. As tar baok as 1861 when it was in the Atlanta

District. the Oxford Churoh report~d 626 for mission at the Annu 1 Confer­

enoe. This waB 466 more than any other ohuroh in the distriot reported.

Th same year it paid .1360 tor "Sunday Sohoo1 equieites." The ohurch that

o e seoond in th distriot r ported only 300. The Oxford Churoh report d

2600 Sunday Sohool Reading Books. 585 being next highest in the distriot.

Th issionary Sooiety and the .S.C.S. have rivaled the Sunday

hool. and no doubt surpassed it. in liberality. And in addition have done

muoh to alleviate suftering ong the ne dy t home and abroad nd to epread

the gospel. There are thr every aotive and enthusiastio oiroles with a

total m berahip ot 83. The oircles are named in honor of three of the most

t ithful and aotive members of "yeeteryear"r Th ~u8ie Bonnell stone Cirole.

The Addie Branham Cirole. and The Emmi Stewart Circle.

Our church has had an unusually large number of loyal and devoted

members and effioient otfioials. Although it 1s not a good policy ordinarily

to single out individual. there ar three. in addition to thOle alre dy

mentioned. and that stand out so prominently in the mind ot the" writer that

I {

he oannot retrain trom mentionin t.em by name. • J. C. Kitchens for 26

years was our ohuroh treasurer and in all probability never m d an error.

Hi report was always ready on time and in good sh pee Prof. R. L. "Unole

Bob" aine for many years 111 S oh irman of" our board of stewards. and a ·won­

dertul iuflueno for good among the students. He never 10 t his youthful

enthuliasm. hi ze t for living. or his keen nd wholesome sen of humor.

Prof. Harry H. Stone was born in Oxford. reared and eduoated here nd then

spent his entire adult life in the ervice of Emory. He was a grandson 0

Bishop CapersJ a d outstanding ohurchman. a perfeot Chri.tian gentl n.

May God grant to us Who now live and labor in this holy plaoe the

wisdom and spirttual vhion to "follow in their train 1"