History

HISTORY OF BURKHEAD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

In 1887 a Sunday School class being conducted in the old Union Chapel on North Liberty Street by a member of Centenary became the seed from which Burkhead United Methodist Church was ultimately born. Centenary Methodist Church provided the seed for every Methodist Church from 1884 to 1930 and wanted to start a new church in North Winston so they organized the class in 1886 as the Mission Grove Methodist Mission. A year later 22 charter members “coming by certificate” from Centenary organized a new church and named it Burkhead Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

The church was named in honor of Dr. Lingurn Skidmore Burkhead who was minister at Centenary in December 1886. Dr. Burkhead may have been the moving force behind the new church, hence the name, but he was to serve Centenary for only a year, dying suddenly in December 1887 while attending Annual Conference in Fayetteville.

The first church building located at 1012 North Liberty Street was dedicated in September 1888.The original building was enlarged in 1919 even while plans to build a new sanctuary were being made. Consolidation in April 1920 with Liberty Methodist Episcopal Church, South created even more growth and the new church building was begun.

The new sanctuary was dedicated in May 1923. In the 35 years the church served the community from that location, Burkhead had 14 ministers and grew from its chartered membership of 22 to over 700.

After the church was paid for in 1923, Burkhead became directly involved in helping other churches get started, specifically Hiatt and Ogburn Memorial. They were also later credited with helping Maple Spring UMC’s building program.

The 1950’s saw a major change in Winston-Salem when several of the downtown churches decided to move to the “suburbs” and Burkhead moved to Silas Creek Parkway. Fred W. Butner, Jr., a major Winston-Salem architect and Burkhead member, was chosen as the architect of the new facility. On December 12, 1965 Burkhead members began worshiping in their new location on Silas Creek Parkway in what is now the Fellowship Hall.  The current sanctuary was built in 1978-79 with the first service held August 5, 1979.

The move to its present location also coordinated with the church changing its name from Burkhead Methodist Episcopal Church, South to Burkhead United Methodist Church.

Burkhead celebrated its centennial in November 1986.

This has been a reciting of dates and places, but not the people who helped build Burkhead. From the 22 charter members in 1887 to the current day, loving Christians have sat in Burkhead’s pews, reaching out to fellow Christians, locally and world-wide. During the years since its move to the current location, there have been many programs, schools, and special events taking place within its walls, and Burkhead has always changed to meet the needs of its members and community. So, in effect, its history is not finished…

 

Burkhead United Methodist Church Ministers

Rev. C.W. Robinson                           1887-1888

Rev. Ira Erwin                                     1888-1892

Rev. Jacob Robert Moose                 1892-1894

Rev. S. D. Stamey                                1894-1896

Rev. G.W. Callahan                             1896-1898

Rev. William Wilson                          1898-1900

Rev. Harold Turner                           1900-1904

Rev. T. W. Watts                                1904-1905

Rev. E. E. Williamson                       1905-1908

Rev. W. A. Biles                                  1908-1911

Rev. W. L. Hutchens                         1911-1915

Rev. G. C. Brinnaman                       1915-1916

Rev. J. E. Thompson                         1916-1918

Rev. J. S. Hiatt                                    1918-1924

Rev. J. W. Williams                           1924-1927

Rev. C. M. Short                                 1927-1929

Rev. J. F. Moser                                 1929-1932

Rev. G. A. Stamper                            1932-1936

Rev. W. B. Davis                                1926-1938

Rev. W. M. Smith                              1928-1942

Rev. Reid Wall                                   1942-1946

Rev. J. Elwood Carroll                     1946-1948

Rev. Mark Q. Tuttle                          1948-1953

Rev. J. Ernest Yountz                      1953-1958

Rev. Aubert M. Smith                      1958-1961

Rev. Lee P. Barnett                           1961-1965

Rev. Dr. Russell T. Montfort          1965-1970

Rev. Donald W. Haynes                  1970-1973

Rev. L. Donald Ellis                         1973-1977

Rev. Robert L. Moore                      1977-1981

Rev. Carlton G. Alspaugh, Jr.        1981-1984

Rev. Dr. Kenneth M. Johnson       1984-1988

Rev. Charles L. Adams                    1988-1992

Rev. Robert M. Smith, Jr.              1992-1996

Rev. Mark Barden                           1996-2000

Rev. Kathie Clonz Sherrill             2000-2012

Rev. Dr. Susan Pillsbury Taylor   2012-2015

Rev. Elizabeth Graves                    2015-2017

Rev. Dr. Carl L. Manuel, Jr.          2017-2020

Rev. Julie O’Neal                             2020-present

ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

Rev. Reginald J. Cooke                  1962-1965

Rev. Ralph Eanes                            1965-1970

Rev. Larry L. Kimel                        1970-1971

Rev. Van Bullock                            1971

Rev. Jim Bob Reeves                     1972-1974

Rev. Janice Johnson                      1974-1975

Rev. Carl Johnson                          1974-1980

Rev. J. Robert Nations, Jr.           1980-1982

Rev. Mark W. Jordan                    1982-1986, Director of Music

Rev. Karen Miller                           1986-1989

DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Mrs. Barbara Barden                     1990-1992

Mrs. Pat Shouns                             1992-1996

Rev. Barbara Barden                     1996-2000