The First United Methodist Church

The First United Methodist Church

The First United Methodist Church, located at 415 N. Seminary Street in Florence, Alabama, almost fell victim to the Great Depression. A devastating fire in 1920 caused the congregation to have to design, reconstruct, and refinance the church. The doors of the church were reopened on Easter Sunday,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
Format: Electronic
Published: Auburn University Libraries
Subjects:
Cultural resources
Online Access:https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/245
format Electronic
collection Alabama Cultural Resource Survey Collection
building Auburn University
publisher Auburn University Libraries
topic Cultural resources
spellingShingle Cultural resources
The First United Methodist Church
Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
fulltopic Cultural resources
Methodist Churches; Louis Rosenbaum; Jewish Community; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, AL
description The First United Methodist Church, located at 415 N. Seminary Street in Florence, Alabama, almost fell victim to the Great Depression. A devastating fire in 1920 caused the congregation to have to design, reconstruct, and refinance the church. The doors of the church were reopened on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924. Economic changes in the community – construction of Wilson Dam was completed, the iron furnaces over east Florence were closed, and the cottons mills were closing – caused economic uncertainty. By 1937, the United Methodist Church – in arrears for five years due to the construction of the building – was in serious financial trouble. The holder of the mortgage had instigated court action and the Methodist congregation was faced with losing its place of worship. The congregation tried various campaigns and programs to raise money but to little avail. While the money did help, it was not enough to pay off the debts. The First United Methodist Church was faced with foreclosure and a public auction of the building. Louis B. Rosenbaum, an influential businessman and member of Temple B’nai Israel, contacted the church leaders offering to help negotiate with the mortgage holder. Mr. Rosenbaum called the National Bank of New York asking the bank officials to give the congregation another opportunity to raise the money to catch up on their mortgage. The congregation worked very hard during the grace period to raise the remaining funds to pay down their burdensome debt. When the First United Methodist Church was unable to raise the money, Mr. Rosenbaum stepped in, writing a check on a private loan to the congregation to save the building. William Lindsey McDonald, a local historian, described the occasion “as one of the most beautiful accounts in the annals of Christian and Jewish relationships.”
spelling The First United Methodist ChurchPam Kingsbury, University of North AlabamaMethodist Churches; Louis Rosenbaum; Jewish Community; Florence, AL; Lauderdale County, ALThe First United Methodist Church, located at 415 N. Seminary Street in Florence, Alabama, almost fell victim to the Great Depression. A devastating fire in 1920 caused the congregation to have to design, reconstruct, and refinance the church. The doors of the church were reopened on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924. Economic changes in the community – construction of Wilson Dam was completed, the iron furnaces over east Florence were closed, and the cottons mills were closing – caused economic uncertainty. By 1937, the United Methodist Church – in arrears for five years due to the construction of the building – was in serious financial trouble. The holder of the mortgage had instigated court action and the Methodist congregation was faced with losing its place of worship. The congregation tried various campaigns and programs to raise money but to little avail. While the money did help, it was not enough to pay off the debts. The First United Methodist Church was faced with foreclosure and a public auction of the building. Louis B. Rosenbaum, an influential businessman and member of Temple B’nai Israel, contacted the church leaders offering to help negotiate with the mortgage holder. Mr. Rosenbaum called the National Bank of New York asking the bank officials to give the congregation another opportunity to raise the money to catch up on their mortgage. The congregation worked very hard during the grace period to raise the remaining funds to pay down their burdensome debt. When the First United Methodist Church was unable to raise the money, Mr. Rosenbaum stepped in, writing a check on a private loan to the congregation to save the building. William Lindsey McDonald, a local historian, described the occasion “as one of the most beautiful accounts in the annals of Christian and Jewish relationships.” Alabama Cultural Resource Survey 1920 to 1925Still Image and Texthttps://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/245Coleman, Erwin M. A History of Temple B'Nai Israel, Florence, Alabama, Centennial Celebration:1906-2006. Privately Printed. Florence, Alabama, 2006. Photograph Courtesy of University of North Alabama Archives, Collier Library, Florence, Alabama.
title The First United Methodist Church
titleStr The First United Methodist Church
author Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
author_facet Pam Kingsbury, University of North Alabama
id AUcultural245
url https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/items/show/245
_version_ 1788802436406706176

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