Our Background
Personal Profile
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Timeline of events
October 26, 1952
The first meeting of Buchel Methodist Church was held in the Hikes Grade School auditorium. There were 50 people in attendance. Our very first pastor Baxter W. Napier (shown left) led our church for the first two years of it's ministry.
December 7, 1952
The Buechel Methodist Church was officially organized with 54 charter members. The first official church board consisted of 10 members.
June 1953
A 4 acre lot was purchased for the site of the church, and construction began. This included a temporary chapel and Sunday school rooms.
June 13, 1954
The first service within the new building was held. At this time, the church community was over 100+ members and continuing to grow.
Reverend L. Ugene Sine was appointed as the second pastor of our church. Due to the illness of Reverend Sine, Reverend Emil D. McAdams became our third pastor in the spring of 1955.
Due to the rapid growth in our church body, another renovation to or beautiful church building was necessary. In 1956, an additional 4 acres of land was purchased and construction began. This included a larger sanctuary, a beautiful entrance, and more important church facilities and rooms. Later phases of construction included a larger parking lot, connections from the church school wing to the main sanctuary, and a second driveway.
1962
Reverend Hugh Allen was appointed as our fourth pastor. This year also marked the ground breaking ceremony and consecration of the new sanctuary. This was the last step for the master vision for our church.
1954-1956
1964
Reverend William H. Poore was appointed as our fifth pastor. Following his untimely death in 1968, Reverend Donnie N. Crenshaw led our church.
October 23, 1977
Buechel United Methodist Church's 25th Anniversary! A large service and after-service gathering was held this Sunday. 6 of the original charter members were in attendance, along with former Pastor McAdams.
At this time in Buechel's history, the membership had grown from the original 54 to 1,072 members. Thanks to the improvements in the building, many different programs were offered. Church School classes, prayer and study groups, Girl and Boy Scout programs, United Methodist Women, various athletic programs, and even a state-approved kindergarten. A bus ministry, large youth choir, youth coffee house, food pantry, and multiple plays were held within Buechel's walls.
1988
At this point in the church's history, we had about 2,000 members and many more regular attendees. We were widely known as a friendly outreach based church and were known well within our local community. We partnered with volunteer and outreach services to better reach our community, and still continue to do so today.
1990
Sunday Night Live (now Wednesday Night Live) and STARS were created in 1993, both of which are still active. A child care program was introduced in 1990 and shared a space with the Sunday School until 1994. Pastor Jim Meador was appointed June 1994, and served our church until May 2000. Under his vision, a merger with multiple other Methodist churches was executed, and increased the number of children in attendance.
2000
In the spring of 2000, Jim Robinson was appointed as our pastor. The 50th anniversary of Buechel was celebrated in 2002.
At this point in our history, we had a large variety of organizations catering to every interest. Crafting groups, Yoga classes, B.O.M.B (summer children program), Thursday Night Share Group, and many more were active. STARS was and is a large group with many regular outings. They collaborated with other congregations and senior's groups to participate in joint activities. The Barnabas program was created in 2002, and sought to strengthen the ties between college-aged young adults and the church.
The women's organizations have been a pillar of support to many throughout our church's history. Wether it be the
