In 1872, John G. Kullman brought a colony of five German families and one bachelor to Alabama and they settled on land that is now a part of the City of Cullman. The Cullman Mission was organized by the Rev. Sam P. West in 1881 . One of the leading laymen of that congregation was Mr. George W. Hanlin, who in 1879 had organized a Sunday school class for Methodists in Cullman. Two years later, under the leadership of Rev. R. S. Hullett, the congregation erected their first church building on 1st Avenue, West between 1st and 2nd Streets. The church grew in faith and numbers and in its influence upon the community. This handful of early Methodists was committed to the Lord and gave themselves to the establishment of a Methodist Church in this community. They gave sacrificially of their time, talent and resources as faith commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their first church building was destroyed by the fire of 1893, which also destroyed the greater part of the northwestern section of the town. Shortly thereafter, the congregation led by their pastor, Dr. D. S. McDonald, made plans for erecting a new building on the present site. This frame building stood until 1923 when, under the leadership of the Rev. S. O. Kimbrough, it was torn down and used in constructing a tabernacle where the congregation worshipped while the present stone church building was completed. This new beautiful building cost nearly $100,000 and a large indebtedness was incurred. The building of this wonderful sanctuary was truly an act of faith on the part of this congregation. Because of their devotion to God, they stretched themselves according to their means and beyond their means. Every person who has worshipped in this sanctuary or been nurtured in this church school owes a great debt of gratitude to our spiritual ancestors who built according to God’s Vision for His Church in this place.
Times were not always easy for our spiritual ancestors. The Great Depression of 1929 hit before they had completed paying off the indebtedness on the beautiful rock structure they had built. They struggled for over ten years with the indebtedness and made little progress. Faithful members of the church gathered to try to figure out what they could do about the mortgage on their church. They began to make commitments to pay off the indebtedness. Mr. Joe Sapp was sent to Louisville to negotiate a settlement with the officers of the Board of Church Extension. They wanted to know what they would have to pay in order to clear their church of indebtedness. An agreement was reached on June 3, 1942 but it had to be paid off within a month. This agreement was fulfilled and on June 22, 1942 the mortgage was cancelled. On Sunday, June 28, Rev. S. O. Kimbrough, returned to preach and that afternoon the burning of the mortgage took place. This was a day of both rejoicing and thanksgiving. People had given sacrificially and had freed their church of indebtedness. Perhaps the most significant gift was made by a woman on her death bed who heard that the Methodists were planning to pay off the debt on their building and she wanted to take part. Although she had very little to give, she pulled a crumpled dollar bill from under her pillow and sent it by the postman, Mr. B. F. Hembree, to make her contribution toward paying off the indebtedness.
In 1960, the congregation purchased the Hesterly property and house located in the center of the block on 4th Avenue, to be used as a Youth House. In 1964, seeing the need for additional Sunday school space, the congregation purchased the Thompson property located on the southeast corner of the property. In 1969, the congregation was able to purchase the property between the previous two tracks to be used for parking. The church did not undertake another building project until 1968, when it dedicated a new parsonage while Rev. David Higginbotham was the pastor. Bishop W. Kenneth Goodson led the dedication service. Shortly thereafter under Rev. Higginbotham’s leadership, the church purchased the Deere property located just north of the church building and launched a bond drive on March 4, 1971 for the building of a new education building. The bonds were sold in one day and construction began in July. On June 4, 1972, the children and youth classes moved into their new education building. Though the building program of 1971 cost almost three times the amount of the sanctuary building that was built 1923, the membership responded with a commitment of faith that was soon to retire the indebtedness on the new facility.
To provide for additional parking and a place for the scouts to meet, the congregation purchased the property to the north of the education building in 1978. In 1989 the congregation purchased property across from the education building on Third Avenue to be used for parking. That same year the Liberty National Insurance property and building were purchased. This acquisition allowed the church offices to be relocated, freeing up space for Sunday school classrooms. The vision continued as the congregation was able to purchase the Joe Sapp Building in 1991. In 1997, the congregation responded to the need for an additional parsonage for our associate pastor when we purchased the home and property on Morningside Drive.
Our spiritual forefathers of the past have responded to God’s Vision for His Church in this place. We have prayed and studied and worked to try to catch God’s Vision for this church at this time. Our most recent expansion in 2001 was in response to what we believe God wants for this Church as it seeks to reach out to this community and win people to Jesus Christ in the 21st Century. We believe that God has great plans for this church in the future. Our mission statement, “Reaching People and Changing Lives with Grace”, is challenging us to provide an environment that others may come to know the love of God and follow the way of Jesus Christ.