Quick Poll

The Georgia DOT says the Highway 34 Bypass widening project & its contractors will get a 6-month extension to complete the job. Will the GDOT complete the project in 6 months or will it need another extension?

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Tuesday, December 08, 2009 in Local

Special

Taking part in the note-burning ceremony for the Bank of America property at First United Methodist Church are, from left, John Goodrum, Anne Fletcher, Ron Duffey and Sean Hart. (Photo by Hugh Maddux)

First Methodist retires debt on Bank of America property

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

Customers making a deposit at the Bank of America in downtown Newnan may not realize that they are on church property -- or that they are in a building designed by one of Georgia's most noted 20th century architects.

First United Methodist Church of Newnan voted to buy the Bank of America property in August 2007. The church recently retired the debt on the $1.1 million property -- which continues to house the bank and some business offices, as well as providing educational space and parking for the church.

The bank building was completed in 1957. It was one of several designed for the old Citizens and Southern Bank system by Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze (1890-1982).

The bank property and the church property adjoined for years. As the congregation grew -- and the bank was listed for sale -- need met opportunity.

The church began the purchase process by paying a 10 percent down payment and secured the balance through a bank note from the Bank of Coweta.

"Whether or not to purchase the property was a very agonizing decision for our church's board of trustee leadership," observed Dr. Med Roach, senior pastor at First Methodist. "Due to the membership growth and activity increases, each trustee member knew the need the church had for both building and parking space."

At the same time, "they were also painfully aware of an economy that was beginning to falter," Roach said. "Some of our members were being laid off from their jobs. They didn't want to place a financial burden upon the church membership."

Each trustee set aside time for "a period of prayer and discernment" and met together on three consecutive days "as the deadline for the decision approached," Roach said. "They finally decided to move forward in faith, trusting God to provide for the church and then voted to purchase the property."

Roach reflected, "For me as a pastor, it was inspiring to see this group of people looking faithfully to God for guidance and making the decision to purchase the property."

In the late summer and early fall of 2007 the church stewardship committee conducted a financial campaign. First Methodist members were asked to give toward the "Annex building property" fund or to make a three-year pledge toward paying off the note.

More than 80 percent of the balance was given or pledged -- which allowed the trustees to move forward. "It was a tremendous challenge for our church to raise the $1 million within a three-year period for the property and then immediately begin a campaign to raise $1.4 million for our church's annual general operating budget," said Sean Hart, stewardship chairperson.

The purchase of the bank property preserves an architecturally significant building and provides space -- and parking -- for the growing church.

The property includes a significant parking area between the LaGrange Street and Greenville Street area, as well as the 21,000-square-foot building. Currently, the building houses several businesses within the first and second floor office spaces.

The church has also remodeled several office spaces for use as Sunday School and Bible Study classrooms and meeting spaces. The leadership of the church is currently reviewing their space needs and preparing a working plan for how the building space will be used over the next few years.

"Our church wishes to be a good neighbor in the city as we offer important ministry to all the people of Newnan," Roach said.

"Many downtown city areas throughout the state of Georgia are in decline, and churches are moving out of the town -- which often creates even more decline," Roach said. "Newnan's downtown area is still vital and active, and it is First United Methodist Church's desire to assist in keeping the city vital and active."

Roach reflected on the economic impact of having four large churches -- First Methodist, First Baptist, Central Baptist and Newnan Presbyterian -- in the downtown area.

"The four churches located just around the city's main square bring thousands of people into the downtown area every day of the week throughout the year," he said. Roach said he hopes city leaders "see how important it is to maintain a spirit of cooperation with each of the downtown churches."

Shutze designed several classical style banks for C&S about the time the local building was constructed. Descended from Elisha Trammell, a Meriwether County landowner in antebellum days, Shutze won the Rome Prize as a young man and studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Columbia University and the American Academy in Rome.

Shutze, who was born in Columbus, designed numerous homes in Atlanta neighborhoods and at least one in Coweta. His most famous home is probably the Swan House, now headquarters of the Atlanta Historical Society in Buckhead.

In addition to banks, his public building designs include the former Rich's Department Store in downtown Atlanta, two buildings on the Spelman College campus and the Temple in Atlanta. Major renovations of the Greenville Street bank building took place in 1981 and 2006.

On Oct. 11, First Methodist held a traditional note-burning ceremony to mark the cancellation of the debt on the Bank of America property. Roach and Hart joined with John Goodrum, trustee chairperson, and Anne Fletcher, administrative board chairperson, to burn the note.

"We are celebrating at this time of the year the paying off of a debt that really equaled an entire one year operational budget for our church," Ron Duffey, the church's finance committee chairperson, said.

He noted the debt was paid in two years "at a time when the economy has gone down the tubes and a lot of people are struggling ... and a lot of people have lost their jobs."

Duffey noted church members who have lost their jobs have continued to give -- and to honor pledges made in more flush economic times. "Talk about faith!" he said. "I just can't honor and respect those people highly enough."

"God was indeed watching over us and proved His desire to provide for the church," Hart stated. "Everyone in the church learned a great lesson of faith and trusting God."