History Of Divine Street
Divine Street United Methodist Church has a long, lustrous history, much of which correlates with the founding of Dunn.
The few Methodists that moved to the area after 1886 wanted a preacher and meeting place to call their own. A request was made to Conference of North Carolina Methodist held in Fayetteville in December of 1887. The requested was granted thus the advent of our church. The "Averasboro Mission" was supplied along with its first preacher, Rev. John F. Butts.
Rev. Butts arrived in Dunn in December of 1887 and it is reported that he arrived with the true spirit of the pioneer Christian.
He immediately set forth working to lay the foundation for Methodism in the Dunn community.
One of the first tasks of Rev. Butts was to select and purchase a plot of land for the church building.
He purchased the land which Divine Street United Methodist Church now stands from Mr. Henry Pope for the sum of $50.00.
While the church was being built, Rev. Butts rented an old store house for the early "Dunn Mission" to worship.
The building consisted of a dirt floor, four walls and a roof.
The congregation would gather, worship and sing old Methodist hymns without the benefit of a piano or organ.
Rumor has it that the large rats would gather along the rafters and listen to the music.
The new church building was completed in 1888.
Rev. Butts served the people of Dunn for two years.
His hard work, dedication and leadership set the path to where we are today.
As the years went by the congregation outgrew the original wooden church building.
In 1913, the wooden building was moved and construction began on a new church.
Worship services were held at an adjacent property until the sanctuary and Sunday School building were completed in 1917.
The new church, including the sanctuary, Sunday School rooms and basement were dedicated in 1924.
Throughout the years there have been many upgrades and projects to re-model the church and parsonage.
All Methodist churches became known as United Methodist in 1964. Divine Street was no exception as it took on the name Divine Street United Methodist Church.
Our church began in 1887 with a vision and desire to worship.
Since the beginning, we continue to grow and change. Continue to work and pray for the ministry of Divine Street United Methodist Church.
