Our History

The town of Hartselle was established in 1870 along the South and North Alabama Railroad, named for one of its founding fathers, George Hartsell. Just two years later, in 1872, a religious revival led by Dr. S.L. Rountree organized the first Methodist congregation in town — what would become First Methodist Church of Hartselle. For the next eight decades, First Methodist served as the spiritual home for Methodists across the city.

By the early 1950s, however, Hartselle was growing — and so was the conviction among a small group of First Methodist members that the gospel should reach further. The west side of town, in particular, was home to families and neighbors who had no nearby Methodist church to call their own. From that simple observation came a vision: a mission to the west end.

On the night of October 31, 1954, four women and a pastor stepped into a metal-covered shell of a building on the west side of Hartselle to worship God. They came from First Methodist Church carrying a shared conviction: the people of west Hartselle needed a spiritual home of their own.

The four women were Mrs. C.I. Lee, Mrs. Owen Lyle, Miss Carrie Teague, and Mrs. G.W. Puckett. The pastor was Rev. E.M. Barnes Jr. Their gathering that night was, by any worldly measure, modest. Only two girls — Faye Drake and Joan Brooks — were there to attend. But what those five adults began, a whole community would carry on.

The flame they kindled in that tin building did not flicker out. By the early months of 1955, a Friday night worship service had taken root, and people were starting to come.

In August 1955, a revival was held in a tent on a lot near the tin building, and out of those meetings the West End Community Fellowship was formally organized. Word spread, and as month followed month, the gathering grew in both size and spiritual depth.

Ministry beyond Sunday worship took shape that same year. A Bible School was held every Friday afternoon for the neighborhood children, with refreshments faithfully prepared by the women of First Church. Mrs. Naomi Moore came from First Church to help teach in the Bible School and church school. Mrs. G.W. Puckett led a Wednesday afternoon Bible class for women.

What began as five adults in a tin shell was becoming, recognizably, a congregation.

April 1956 brought another revival to the tin building, this time with Rev. Robert Heaps preaching. The week was charged with prayer and decision. On the evening of April 20, 1956, the West End Methodist Church was officially born — a shining moment in what its earliest historians would call "the West End Adventure."

With interest high, the congregation set about organizing itself in earnest. Rev. E.M. Barnes Jr. assumed the responsibilities of pastor. Church officials were chosen, a worship schedule was set, and Sunday school began in five classes — Beginners through Adults — all meeting under the same roof. With one open hull and five classes, the building was creative if cramped: one class met in each corner, and a fifth gathered in the very middle. Confusion, the founders later admitted, was unavoidable.

West End needed a real home.

In October 1956, through the combined gifts of West End Church, Hartselle First Methodist Church, and the District Board of Missions, two vacant lots on St. Clair Street were purchased for $1,000. Half of that amount was given by the sellers themselves — Mr. and Mrs. John T. Cooper — whose generosity made the location possible.

A building committee was appointed from West End: Henry McAbee, Asburry Moore, G.W. Puckett, and Eleanor Bishop. First Church appointed its own committee to work alongside them: Hoyt Groover, Luther Roberts, and Ernest Maddox. Together, the two committees designed a concrete-block structure that would serve the new congregation: a sanctuary, a kitchen, four classrooms, and restrooms. The total cost would come to roughly $10,000.

Construction began on March 1, 1957. Less than seven weeks later, the building was ready.

Easter Sunday, April 21, 1957, was a great day at West End. The new church stood ready for worship.

At 8:45 a.m., Miss Carolyn Teague rang the bell, calling members and neighbors alike to prepare for the opening of the new building. At 9:15 a.m., the bell rang again — this time to assemble the congregation at the tin shop where everything had begun. At the next ringing, the people walked together from the old tin building to the new church on St. Clair Street.

Rev. E.M. Barnes Jr. stepped into the pulpit and preached the message "What Christ and His Church Means to Me." Sunday School followed immediately after worship. That same evening, a revival began with Rev. A.M. Jones preaching — a fitting Easter for a congregation that had quite literally walked from one place to another, from "mission" to "home."

From 1957 forward, West End grew steadily into a fully established congregation. The concrete-block building on St. Clair Street saw babies dedicated, children confirmed, couples married, and saints laid to rest. Generations of faithful members shaped the life of the church through prayer, stewardship, teaching, music, and outreach. What had begun as a mission became a spiritual home — walking with families through every season of life.

In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church, and West End became part of the new denomination — by then known as West End United Methodist Church. Through every season of change, the congregation remained rooted in classic Methodist convictions: proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ, emphasizing personal faith and holy living, valuing connectional ministry and shared mission, and serving the local community with compassion.

If you are a longtime member or descendant of West End and have stories, photos, or pastor records from the years between 1957 and today, we'd love to add them to this history. Please use the contact form to share what you remember.

In the early 2020s, the United Methodist Church entered a season of significant theological discernment, and many congregations across North Alabama prayerfully considered their future. Between 2022 and 2023, more than a hundred churches in the North Alabama Conference voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church — including West End's mother church, Hartselle First, in September 2022.

West End joined that movement, choosing to align with the newly formed Global Methodist Church. The decision was not a departure from Methodism but a renewed commitment to it: to historic Wesleyan theology, the authority of Scripture, and the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. The congregation took on its current name — West End Global Methodist Church — and continues its ministry as part of the North Alabama Conference of the Global Methodist Church.

The Global Methodist Church's vision — to multiply disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the earth who flourish in scriptural holiness as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly — fit naturally with a church whose first members had set out, almost seventy years earlier, to bring the gospel to a corner of Hartselle that needed it.

Today, West End Global Methodist Church gathers on St. Clair Street — on the very lots Mr. and Mrs. Cooper helped make possible in 1956 — to worship Christ, study Scripture, and serve the community. Pastor Jason Friend serves as lead pastor, leading a congregation that values both the rich heritage of traditional hymns and the dynamic expression of contemporary praise.

Sunday worship begins at 11:00 a.m., with adult Bible study at 10:00 a.m., evening services on most Sundays, and youth ministry on Wednesday nights. On the third Sunday of every month, the church family shares a meal together — a continuation of the deep fellowship that has marked West End from its earliest days.

The story of West End Methodist Church is, in the end, the story of ordinary people who said yes to God's call. From a tin building in 1954 to a Global Methodist congregation today, that story is still being written — and there's a place in it for you.

Specific records that would help us flesh out the timeline include:

• The names and years of pastors who served West End between Rev. E.M. Barnes Jr. and the current pastor
• Dates of building expansions, renovations, or additions to the original 1957 sanctuary
• The founding dates of long-running ministries (children's ministry, youth ministry, fellowship suppers, Carrie Teague Circle, etc.)
• The exact date West End joined the Global Methodist Church
• Old photographs of the tin building, the original sanctuary on its dedication day, or other historical images
• Stories from members and families who shaped West End over the decades

Please send anything you'd like to contribute through the contact form on the home page. Every memory adds to the picture.