Warner Robins First United Methodist readies for 75th anniversary

First United Methodist Church will be celebrating its75th anniversary in August and would like you to “save the date” and be in attendance.

The 75th anniversary worship service will be held at the church Aug. 28 at 10:30 am. Guest speakers will include the Rev. Tom Carruth and the Rev. Jimmy Duke. Following the worship service, there will be a catered lunch. Tickets are required and will go on sale July 15 and can be purchased until Aug. 15. Tickets are $7 with a $25 family maximum.

First Methodist Church counts its anniversary from 1941 — two years before the official date incorporating of the city of Warner Robins in 1943. When construction of the base started in the summer of 1941 and with that a large amount of people moving to the area, the Methodists held a revival meeting in August 1941. At the time, Methodist churches were located in Bonaire and Elko.

There had been a Methodist church in Wellston prior to 1930, when according to “First, The history of First United Methodist Church,” it had been consolidated with the Bonaire congregation.

“I can imagine it was a hard sell to start a new church,” said the Rev. Jimmy Asbell at First Methodist’s 65th anniversary service. “A Methodist church had already died in this town. You have Methodist churches at Bonaire and Elko. So there were some that said, “We don’t need a church here.” And some said, “These people are coming for these jobs and they go home every weekend. They go back to Eastman and Cochran and Macon every weekend, so no need for a church here. And besides, when the war is over the air depot will close.

There were lots of reasons not to build a church here. But God gave the wisdom, the vision, the courage and the tenacity so that a church was started.”

That courage and vision resulted in not only the First United Methodist Church of Warner Robins, but a lot of other firsts as well. First Methodist was the first church to sponsor scouting, the first church to offer preschool, to have a pipe organ and a church bus. While the city has grown away from First Methodist’s location on Davis Drive, the church has continued to grow and flourish, and the church has been committed to ministries such as international mission trips, a soup kitchen, a food bank, a clothes closet, TV ministry and Hispanic ministry.

Northview Methodist, Trinity, Christ and Andrew all have ties to First Methodist of Warner Robins.

For more information about First Methodist Church’s anniversary services, call the church at 478-923-3737.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Warner Robins First United Methodist readies for 75th anniversary."