A Living Congregation in an Historic Church...

Since 1835, Methodists in Selma have gathered to worship and gone forth to serve from this same location, the corner of Dallas Avenue and Church Street.
The building sits on the acre of land set aside for a Methodist Church when the Selma Town Land Company drew its plans for the new town of Selma in 1817.

The first church building on the site was a frame structure built by J. L. Claughton in 1835. The Rev. Daniel H. Norwood organized a congregation of eleven members, the first congregation organized in Selma, in that wooden church. The rose window in the rear of the present sanctuary is a memorial to those early Methodists, the eight oval petals of stained glass preserving their names and their memories.
In 1853, the wooden church was torn down to make way for a two-story brick edifice. When it was finished in 1856, it had a spacious sanctuary, rooms for Sunday School classes, and a large basement where Afro-American Methodists held worship services for several years.

On a blustery March night in 1899, just as choir practice was ending, a gust of wind toppled the steeple and sent it hurtling, point first into the sanctuary, where it stuck in the floor near the alter rail. No one was injured, but the building was severely damaged. The congregation voted to replace the structure. The first brick in the present sanctuary was laid on March 7, 1901 by Ethel Louise Vaughan, so young that her grandmother had to hold her hand.
The present chandelier was installed during the 1901 construction. It was designed to use electricity in its tulip-shaped bulbs and gas in the flame-shaped bulbs. During the 1986 renovation of the sanctuary, the chandelier was completely rewired for electricity.
The marble baptismal font in the sanctuary was given to the church in 1896 by members of Temple Mishkan Israel in appreciation for being welcomed to hold services at Church Street while their house of worship was being repaired.

The parlor behind the wooden folding doors in the sanctuary is dedicated to the memory of Dr. and Mrs. Otis Vaughan Calhoun. Dr. Calhoun served as pastor of the church for twelve years (1919-1925 and 1935-1941), longer than any other pastor ever served. Ben Feagin was church organist from 1919 until he retired in 1981 at the age of ninety-two.

The building on the northeast corner of Church Street and Selma Avenue is the Fellowship Hall. The property housed several businesses before the church purchased it in 1985.

In November, 1986, the Church Street congregation celebrated the completion of the new education building on the corner of Dallas Avenue and Lauderdale Street, and renovated a large portion of the existing building. During the week the education building is home to Leika's School that enrolls over one-hundred preschool children each year.

The Pilcher Pipe Organ, installed in 1926, was completely restored with many upgrades, including a new Allen console with MIDI and sequencer capabilities. It has three manuals, 82 ranks (or voices) and 100 voices of MIDI. The installation was completed in December of 1997. This has provided an excellent enhancement for worship, weddings, and other events held in the sanctuary. The organ is reputed to be one of the best of its kind in the state, and we praise God for His abundant blessings as He supplies all our needs.

The sanctuary underwent a complete restoration in 2002.