Ministers of Franklin First United Methodist Church

John Wesley

(1703-1791)
Anglican priest and founder of Methodism

Satchel window: a gift from the Traveling Men

Stained Glass Windows at FFUMC

1927-1931:   Marvin L. Dyer
1931-1934:   Keener L. Rudolph
1934-1941:   Felix J. Sanders
1941-1949:   Homer C. Ogles
1949-1952:   James S. Curry
1952-1953   Edward F. Norton
1953-1956: Odis J. Polley
1956-1963: Phillip A. McAfee
1963-1967: Henry Tilford Sharp
1967-1973: W. Leslie Chapman
1973-1977: W. Glenn Sowards
1977-1983: Harry A. Pullen
1983-1985: Charles W. Music
1985-1990: James H. Loy
1990-1993: Doug Wilson
1993:            Fred R. Pfisterer
1993-1994: R. Kenneth Lile
1994-1999: Jerry Allen Smith
1999-2003: Paige Williams
2003-2006: Kevin Brown
2006-2012: John Bowling
2012-2019: Chris Morgan
2019-2024: Chris Patterson

2024-Present: Joe & Renae Hester

Cross & crown symbols of the humble reign of Jesus

The History of Franklin First United Methodist Church

Susanna Wesley
(1669-1742)
"Mother of Methodism", mother of John & Charles

Scenes, top row, right to left:
1. The announcement of Jesus' birth (Luke 2.8-14)
2. The visit of the Magi (Matthew 2.1-12)
3. Jesus and his mother, Mary (John 2.1-2)

Scenes, bottom row, left to right:
4. Jesus, Mary and Martha (Luke 10.38-42)
5. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
6. The Resurrection (Mark 16.6-7)

1837-1838: Robert Young McReynolds
1838-1839: William B. Maxey
1839-1840: Eli B. Crain
1840-1841: William E. Evans
1841-1842: James E. Nix
1842-1843: George Riach
1843-1844: Robert Fisk
1844-1845: George Slaughter Gatewood
1845-1846: James N. Temple
1846-1847: William Lasley
1847-1849:   Benjamin R. Hester
1849-1851: Schuyler L. Murrell
1851-1853: Timothy Carpenter Frogge
1853-1854: Joel Peak
1854-1856: Alanson C. Dewitt
1856-1857: Abraham Quick
1857-1858: Thomas Jefferson Moore
1858-1860:   John Randolph
1860-1862: Robert Fisk
1862:           Thomas Jefferson Moore
1862-1863: Learner B. Davison
1863-1865: Joel Peak
1865-1867: Joseph Franklin Redford
1867-1869:   Schuyler L. Murrell
1869-1870:   Edwin Ruthven Harrison

1870-1872: Thomas Jesse Randolph
1872-1874: Edmund Wilford Bottomley
1874-1875: Thomas D. Lewis
1875-1876:   Thomas Bottomley
1876-1877:   Thomas D. Lewis
1877-1878: Eldred E. Pate
1878-1881: John J. Tigert
1881-1882: Silas Newton
1882-1884: Thomas Jesse Randolph
1884-1887:   Granville Ward Lyon
1887-1891:   Joseph Benson Cottrell
1891-1895:   Richard Foster Hayes
1895-1896:   George F. Campbell
1896-1897:   James Preston Stubblefield
1897-1899:   Jeremiah Taylor Cherry
1899-1903:   Joseph Stroud Chandler
1903-1906:   Samuel H. Lovelace
1906-1910:   Thomas Vance Joiner
1910-1914:   James R. McAfee
1914-1917:   Charles F. Wimberly
1917-1918:   Benjamin M. Currie
1918-1919:   William A. Grant
1919-1923:   Andrew C. Johnson
1923-1925:   Alfred D. Leitchfield
1925-1927:   Thomas J. Wade

The Franklin First United Methodist Church has a long and glorious history. The present structure is the fourth building to house the congregation. Eight years after the survey for the town of Franklin, Methodists and Presbyterians organized a Union church in 1820 and worshiped together in a building on the northwest corner of the courthouse square until they built a new church on North Main in 1845. Methodists and Presbyterians worshiped together until the Methodists bought out the Presbyterian interest. In October, 1867, a storm blew down the super-structure of the North Main Street Church. For the next two years, the Methodists and Baptists, who had been meeting together for some time, continued their joint worship in the basement. In 1869, the Methodists moved to a new church on Madison Street. This church had the first pipe organ in Franklin; that organ was moved to a new building and used until 1915.

Discussion of a new building began in 1909. In 1910, a committee purchased the Boisseau Hotel property for $3,200 and sold the Madison Street property in 1911 for $1,500 exclusive of fixtures. The congregation placed the cornerstone for the new sanctuary on July 26, 1911 and dedicated this building on the fourth Sunday of August, 1915.

In the 1950’s, the congregation added the chapel on the north side with a large room above and an annex for the growing church school. In 1964, the annex to the south provided more space for church school along with remodeled kitchen and social hall. In 1972, remodeling and redecorating of the sanctuary included the addition of new pews. In the early morning hours of July 28, 1988, fire destroyed the Hughes Hardware building and caused damages of more than $70,000 to the adjacent educational building and basement of our church. Even with repairs restoring this section of the building, the need for more space to accommodate educational and fellowship activities continued to grow.

During his tenure, Doug Wilson began the vision of a Christian Life Center. The congregation purchased the remaining property on the block occupied by the church. Under the leadership of Jerry A. Smith, a building committee developed a plan, the congregation pledged monies for the projected $1,343,000 cost, and members held groundbreaking ceremonies on June 30, 1996 for the new Christian Life Center. On November 16, 1997, the Franklin First United Methodist congregation consecrated the new building. During the same time, extensive remodeling took place in the sanctuary and educational building.

Franklin First continues in its mission to witness for Jesus Christ. While that witness continues through traditional ministries, it also reaches out to the community in new and dynamic ways.