History of Williamson's Chapel United Methodist Church
The October, 1911 quarterly conference of the Mooresville Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South established a new church in the rural, farming area of the far southwestern corner of Iredell County. At that meeting approximately 60 people from the Alley, Bost, Burgarner, Caldwell, Calloway, Donaldson, Goodrum, Howard, Sherrill, Prim, Wally, Williamson, and Williams families transferred their membership to this new church. The church first met in 1912 in the Red Hill School House but soon built a white, frame building on land donated by Thomas S. Williamson. The trustees who received the land were W. B. Sherrill, H. C. Howard, and C. B. Sherrill. The first preacher was Ebenezer Myers. In honor of Mr. Williamson, the members named the church Williamson’s Chapel.
Williamson’s Chapel remained on the Mooresville Circuit with Centenary, McKendree, and Triplet until 1935. It grew steadily until 1939. In 1926, the first year statistics for individual churches were reported in conference journals, Williamson’s Chapel reported 133 members. By 1939 the membership had increased to 180. In 1917 conference journals began to list Sunday School Superintendents, the most important lay leaders in the church. From 1917 until 1925 and from 1931 through 1935, J. T. Bumgarner was listed as the Sunday School Superintendent. C. H. Howard, R. L. Prim, and Elmer Howard also served as Sunday School Superintendents before 1939. In 1929 Williamson’s Chapel first reported an Epworth League (predecessor of United Methodist Youth Fellowship) with 30 members. In 1930 the church reported 21 members of the Women’s Missionary Society (predecessor of United Methodist Women), which had been recently established by Nan Williams.
The years between 1938 and 1946 were years of change for the country, for Methodism, and for Williamson’s Chapel. The country went through the final years of a depression followed by World War II. Three Methodist denominations united in 1939 to form the Methodist Church. Williamson’s Chapel built a new brick building. Bishop Clare Purcell and Statesville District Superintendent, Rev. John Hoyle and the pastor, the Rev. J. O. Cox, dedicated the building, which did not have electricity at first, in 1939. The building cost $6,000, with an additional two lots and $1600 coming from Duke money and $400 from the Conference Board of Church Extension. Church members provided the rest of the money and their own labor to build the church. A fellowship and recreation building was added in the mid 1940s.
Between 1935 and 1947, particularly during World War II, Williamson’s Chapel changed charges several times, moving from the Statesville District to the Charlotte District twice. During those years the church was on the Huntersville, South Iredell, Davidson-Fairview, and Jones Memorial charges. In 1947 the conference placed Williamson’s Chapel on the McKendree charge with McKendree and Rocky Mount churches. It remained on that charge until 1964 when it became a station. As a part of the Methodist Church in the 1940s and 1950s, Williamson’s Chapel in the rural, farming area of southwest Iredell County experienced a steady, slow growth.
In 1961 Duke Power Company began construction of the Cowan’s Ford dam on the Catawba River, which would create Lake Norman. The presence of the lake and the outward growth of Charlotte combined to radically change the area from quiet, rural farms to a bustling suburb. Because Williamson’s Chapel was near the proposed edge of the lake, Duke Power bought the church and helped the members obtain another location several miles east at the corner of what is now Brawley School Road and Williamson’s Road. The cemetery remained at the old location and is still in existence near the Point Golf Course. At its new, highly visible location the congregation again contributed their money and their labor to build a brick building with a high steeple, Sunday School rooms and a basement fellowship hall. The trustees who received the land in 1961 were Lem Caldwell, Graham Barnette, and Horace Goodrum. In January 1962, the Christian Advocate announced plans for the building, which was projected to cost $145,000. Rufus Isenhour chaired the building committee and J. Moore Reid chaired the long-range planning committee. Bishop Nolan B. Harmon and the District Superintendent, Cecil Hefner dedicated the new building at the end of the year. Under the pastor, Levi Paschal, church membership was 210. Two years later a parsonage was built next to the church and Thomas Sigmon became the first pastor of Williamson’s Chapel as a station in 1964. Membership in that year was reported at 233. In 1968 the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren to form the United Methodist Church, and Williamson’s Chapel Methodist Church became Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church.
For the past 40 years Williamson’s Chapel has struggled with adjusting to a rapidly growing community. A trickle of people moving to the lake, building vacation or permanent homes, became a flood in the 1990s as the suburbs of Charlotte moved farther out. Housing developments and shopping centers have replaced farms and woodlands. Williamson’s Chapel’s membership began to grow rapidly. The church reported 275 members in 1970, 365 in 1980, 461 in 1990, and 827 in 2000. The current membership is 1400+. In 1988, a new parsonage was built under Rev. Thomas Gibson. In 1998, the Rev. Lyn Sorrells led the building of a family life center and Sunday School classrooms. The church is currently in the process of building a new sanctuary and more classrooms. Other changes have occurred as part of the growth. The number of services on Sunday and during the week has increased as well as the number of staff. Many small groups for fellowship, support, service, and study have been formed. On Wednesday night the church sponsors a dinner and programming for children and adults. During its history, the people of Williamson’s Chapel have been outstanding stewards of their property and have also focused on ministry to the needs of the community. Attempting to meet the changing needs of the community has been difficult, with disagreements about methods and priorities combined with sadness and a sense of loss in the disappearance of a cherished lifestyle and the closeness of a small community. Yet Williamson’s Chapel has been able to focus more on its purpose and mission to the community than on the difficulties.
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