History of Our Church
The Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church, Decatur, Georgia, was officially formed on July 1, 1971, by the merger of the Avondale Methodist and Pattillo Memorial United Methodist Churches.
Below is the history of the merged Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church. To start reading about the earlier churches, see this section's menu, above.
1971 - Merger, groundbreaking for new sanctuary
The merger of Avondale and Pattillo Memorial Methodist
churches on July 1, 1971, was made possible by circumstances that seem providential.
The Avondale Church had voted to relocate at the same time that the
Pattillo Memorial membership was declining due to members moving to other
areas. By a nearly unanimous decision, the churches merged.
The name Avondale Pattillo was chosen, with the former church names appearing in alphabetical order. The churches even merged boards, committees, and officials, with leaders being co-chairs/co-presidents for that first year.
The plan of merger called for new church facilities to be constructed at what was then 3266 Mountain Drive, Decatur, property that Avondale UMC had already purchased. The front face design of the church was patterned after the style of downtown office buildings in nearby Avondale Estates. Both churches liquidated church holdings to provide capital for the "Building Fund". Construction of the new church was estimated to be $600,000.
The Avondale and Pattillo Memorial Churches had many things in common,
which made possible the successful merger.
A groundbreaking ceremony (Rev. Eberhardt is pictured above with the ceremonial shovel) for the new sanctuary was held October 17, 1971.
1972 - A special Christmas Eve
The merged congregation joyfully celebrated its opening service in the new sanctuary on Christmas Eve, 1972. Rev. J. W. Eberhardt, Sr., who had served as pastor of the Avondale Church, became the first pastor of the merged Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church.
1975 - Friendship Hall built
A new spacious yet cozy Friendship Hall was built at the back part of the property in 1975 and a professionally staffed weekday Kindergarten and Play-school was organized.
Though called Friendship hall when built, it has been known as "Fellowship Hall" for many years. The sign on the building even says "Fellowship Hall".
During Reverend Hoover's pastorate the church bought a new parsonage at 2971 Majestic Circle, Avondale Estates. The former parsonage was then used as housing for the Associate Pastor. Later, named "The Gathering Place," it has been home to Sunday School classes, Disciple Bible Study classes, group meetings, and other church activities.
1985 - Educational building damaged
In the winter of 1985, the Educational Building sustained severe damage due to broken water pipes. Ceilings and floors had to be replaced and, furniture refinished. Church members worked many long hours helping make the necessary repairs.
1986 - 1990
From June 1986 to February 1990 several major projects were undertaken. The sanctuary and education buildings had to be re-roofed. The sanctuary was renovated and two new Sunday School classrooms, a new choir room and a sacristy were added. Drainage problems at the Friendship Hall had to be corrected and new paving and landscaping done. A new sound system was installed in the sanctuary, as well as a security system in the office and sanctuary area.
Reverend Gilbert Steadham arrived in August 1987 and served as our Minister of Visitation. His ministry became a vital part of our church as he visited shut-in and sick members.
During 1990 we continued to make needed repairs to the parsonage and church. A new furnace and air conditioner were installed in the parsonage down-stairs and a water problem in the basement had to be corrected. The parsonage also had to be re-roofed.. A security system was installed in the Educational Building. A Bible Study Class was formed and a Revival was held for the first time in several years.
1991 - 20 year anniversary
In 1991, the church held a "20 Years of Sharing" celebration and created a special one-time logo (at right) for the occasion.
1999 - Sanctuary mortgage paid
With the strong support and urging of Rev. John Barnes, in 1999 the church raised funds to pay off its mortgage. The church had a joyful mortgage paper burning "ceremony".
That same year, the church created a web site, offering religion resources as well as information about the church.
2000 - Disciple Bible Study
The United Methodist Disciple Bible Study program resumed, at the urging of Rev. Barnes, who also taught one of the classes. The church also enhanced its web site, hosted on the General Board of Global Ministries Web server.
2002 - International Community School
In 2002, Rev. Tavye Morgan encouraged and the Adminstraive Council voted to lease part of the campus facilities to the International Community School, which was seeking a charter in DeKalb County. The church supported the children, many of whom were refugees and recent immigrants, with donations of books, clothing, and supplies.
2004 - An official logo
After considering several options, a task force proposed and the Administrative Council approved adoption of an official church logo, which is featured at the upper left of most web pages on this site.
2004, 2005 - Excellence in Outreach
In both 2004 and 2005 the church was recognized as being a "Church of Excellence in Outreach". Among the church's many efforts:
- Sock It To Me! - Collection and distribution of socks to the homeless in downtown Atlanta.
- Mission Trips to Hinton Rural Like Center, North Carolina.
- Visits with the Mountain View Personal Care Home residents
- Collections of donated items for ICS students (including a special "Undie Sunday")
- Providing of meals and some overnight chaperones for Hagar's House, which provides emergency shelter and support for women and their children.
- Support of Decatur Cooperative Ministries (DCM) and the DEAM Food Pantry.
- Warm-Up Sunday - collection of warm clothing for the needy.
- Operation Christmas Child - a shoebox ministry project of Samaritan's Purse.
- Covenant support of Missionaries to the D.R. Congo
- Conduct of Mission Studies
2005 - New steeple
On March 10th, 2005, Avondale Pattillo UMC replaced its 33-year old steeple. The old brown wooden steeple had accumulated woodpecker holes, bees, bats, hornet nests, and several rotted timbers. The old one was solidly built, though -- the chairman of the Trustees had to use a pry bar and a lot of muscle to tear up the steeple, which was held together by hundreds of nails.
The new white fiberglass steeple is a 6 foot square at the bottom, 27 feet high, and weighs about 1,500 lbs. Avondale Pattillo decided to switch to a white color to better match the top front church as well as stand out better from the road.
To also make the church facade more visible from the road, we removed a tree in the front.
2006 - Web expansion
In 2006 we added a photo blog of albums at Flickr, which proved very popular. We also added a church news blog, which replaced the online newsletter. News items often linked to photos and slide shows at Flickr.
2007 - Building Repairs
In 2007 we made several exterior repairs to the Sanctuary building and renovated the parsonage. We also gave the campus buildings a fresh coat of paint while at the same time changing the gark green on the lower exterior to a pale green, which lightened up the look.
The Legacy
Over the years, the location of the congregation has changed and the county even changed the address of the current church property. We are blessed that people of several nationalities and ethnic groups now enrich the community and our congregation.
We do not know what marvelous things the future holds. But the opportunities seem unlimited. This we do know - ours is a great heritage and we are blessed indeed to be a part of what we expect to be "an endless line of splendor".
| Minister | Years |
| Rev. J. W. Eberhardt, Sr. | 1971-73 |
| Rev. Charles E. Hoover | 1973-79 |
| Rev. R. Neal Windom | 1979-84 |
| Rev. Hoyt D. Purcell | 1984-86 |
| Rev. David B. Jones | 1986-90 |
| Rev. Jim Turrentine | 1990-94 |
| Rev. Jack Summers | 1994-96 |
| Rev. John F. Barnes | 1996-2000 |
| Rev. Tavye Morgan | 2000-06 |
| Rev. Donn Ann Weber | 2006-07 |
| Rev. Dave Allen Grady | 2007- |