Wesley Memorial Methodist Church (Atlanta, Ga.)

Wesley Memorial Methodist Church was organized in 1902 after Atlanta's First Methodist Church moved to a new location on Peachtree Street, leaving a great distance between it and Trinity Methodist Church on Trinity Avenue near the Georgia state capitol building. A central location on the corner of Auburn Avenue and Ivy Street was chosen for the establishment of a new Methodist church. The congregation met in temporary quarters until a permanent building was completed in 1910.

At the direction of Bishop Warren A. Candler, the facility was designed with an auditorium-style sanctuary that could accommodate large numbers of people. Stained glass windows constructed in Europe depicted the history of Methodism and the life of John Wesley. The church building also included office space that eventually housed several Methodist agencies and district offices, as well as the office of the bishop of the North Georgia Conference.

Wesley Memorial hosted many events that were significant in the history of Methodism and the city of Atlanta. It was home to the newly created Candler School of Theology from 1914 through 1916. The North Georgia Annual Conference held its sessions at the church in 1918-1920, 1922-1924, 1926, 1927, and 1930-1954. The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South met at Wesley Memorial in 1918, the Ecumenical Methodist Conference in 1931, and the second Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference in 1944.

The Ecumenical Methodist Conference was held despite the protests of many church members who disagreed with the purpose of the conference and did not want to fund the extensive building renovation that was required in preparation for the meeting. As a result of the dissension, church membership dropped from 1500 to 986 and the congregation was unable to repay the debt that was incurred by the renovation. In 1938 the North Georgia Conference took possession of the property, allowing the congregation to continue to use the building in exchange for its equity in the property.

Church membership continued to decline over the next several years. There was an increase in membership during the pastorate of the Rev. Allen A. Phillips who served the church from 1955-1962, but the church was never able to regain financial stability. In 1962 the Board of Trustees of the North Georgia Conference voted to sell the Wesley Memorial property and apply the proceeds of the sale toward the construction of a new building to house the offices of the Conference. The final worship service of the Wesley Memorial congregation was held on June 26, 1964.

The stained glass windows were removed from the building prior to its demolition and eventually installed in the chapel of the Methodist Center on the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Ralph McGill Boulevard. The windows remained there until the fall of 2001, when they were installed in the atrium and entrance foyer of the Woodlands Complex, which is part of the Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center in Norcross, Georgia. The offices of the North Georgia Conference moved to the Woodlands Complex on the closure of the downtown Methodist Center.

From the description of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church (Atlanta, Ga.) records, 1904-1964. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122570876