IUMC History:
Our church
was organized in 1887 with 12 members.
Soon afterward, the original building was
constructed at 2009 Second Avenue, South
on property donated by Edwin
Montgomery. At the time we were a
charge on a circuit in the Bessemer
District. In 1917 we were placed in
the Birmingham District, and in 1939 we
became a full time station church, and
completed an addition to the building
that included four classrooms upstairs
and a basement, which provided a
children’s department, a kitchen and a
dining area.
In
1951 our sanctuary was redecorated and a
new lighting system installed. In
the mid-1950’s we recognized the need for
new facilities and began a search for
suitable property. In May, 1956 we
purchased the property we now occupy,
which included a large two-story house on
the corner of Deering and
20th Street that became our
parsonage.
Shortly, thereafter, a
building committee was selected to
consider a new church building and how to
finance the construction. We chose
Edgar Batson as our architect and invited
bids on the construction of our first
unit, consisting of the sanctuary,
pastors’ study, eight classrooms and
restrooms. Brice Building Company
was the successful bidder at
approximately $120,000. We financed
the construction by the sale of $100,000
in church bonds. We sold these
bonds to church members and to members of
the community at large in less than 10
days. The bond maturities were
spread over 10 years. We were able
to pay them all off in less than five
years.
On
July 15, 1962, we moved into our new
home, which was truly a red-letter day in
our history. I wish I could
describe to you the mixed feelings of joy
and humility of our people that day but
words fail me. Meanwhile, we sold
our old building to a Pentecostal group
for $10,000.
In
1963 we built a new parsonage on our
property, which is now our youth
center. In 1976 we built the second
unit of our master plan, which included
our fellowship hall, kitchen and
classroom upstairs and the basement with
six classrooms, restrooms and storage
areas. This addition was financed
by church bond sales, which we paid off
in very short order. In 1988 we
purchased the present parsonage and
converted the old parsonage into our
youth center.
Several United
Methodist churches in our area closed in
recent years and some of their members
joined this congregation. These
churches have included
67th Street, West Woodlawn,
Acipco, Ruffner, Overton, Boyles and
Grace. This has proved to be a
joyous blending and adds much to our
worship and our service
outreach.
If I
may be permitted a personal word, it has
been my privilege to witness the growth
and development of our church for the
last 58 years. Over the years, I have
witnessed acts of sacrifice, dedication
and devotion that have been an unending
inspiration to me.
No
one knows what the next 120 years will
bring, but I believe that here in this
small corner of God’s kingdom the people
of Irondale United Methodist Church will
still echo the words of the prophet
Micah, “What does the Lord require of
thee, but to do justly, love mercy, and
to walk humbly with the Lord your
God.”
Kelly
Thomas, Jr.
December
2, 2007