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Updated January 7, 2005
 About
Hope United Methodist Church
Liz W. Chamberlain - Church Historian
The United Methodist Church shares a common history
and heritage with other Methodist and Wesleyan bodies (from
the history of the United Methodist Church).
The first record
of Hope United Methodist Church (HUMC) was in 1844; however,
the church was organized as Southfield Methodist Episcopal
Church in 1852. The first meeting was held in a log school
house, and afterwards in a house on Farmington Town Line
Road. After this, meetings were held in barns during the
warm season. On October 6, 1853, the church was incorporated
as a Methodist Society. The church lot was donated in 1855
by Archibald H. Green. The first meeting recorded for the
election of Trustees was held in the church building on
May 18, 1857. The deed, given by A. H. Green for the sum
of $28.00,
to the Methodist Episcopal Church of Southfield was dated
September 2, 1863, and recorded October 27, 1863.
On July 16, 1946, Southfield Methodist Church purchased
property for the sum of $6,500.00 to build a new church.
A building fund drive was held in 1958 for the new church.
$49,000.00 was raised, and on May 28, 1961, consecration
service was held at Southfield Methodist Church for the new
building at Civic Center Drive and Berg Rd. Membership was
approximately 250. The pastor was the Rev. Robert B. Secrist.
In 1968, the Methodist Episcopal Church merged with the
Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist
Church. Southfield Methodist Church then became Southfield
United Methodist Church. On June 8, 1975, Southfield United
Methodist Church and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
(the former St. Mark’s Evangelical United Brethren
Church) merged their small congregations to form Hope United
Methodist Church.
 The former St. Mark’s church, parsonage, and property
were sold and the merged church occupied the church building
and facilities of the former Southfield United Methodist
at the southeast corner of Civic Center Drive and Berg Road.
Approximately 160 charter members were recorded.
Hope United Methodist Church was then already 131 years
old and had seen some 82 circuit and tenured pastors when
Dr. Carlyle Fielding Stewart, III was assigned as pastor
in June, 1983. Hope’s membership was approximately
200. Although the ethnicity of the church was 100% Caucasian
at the time, Dr. Anthony Shipley, then District Superintendent
of Detroit West District, along with Bishop Edsel Ammons
(both, African American), sought out and offered Dr. Stewart
the pastorship. A demographic study had clearly indicated
that a significant number of African Americans were buying
homes in the Southfield area. That demographic study proved
to be true.
In December 1985, the first significant number of African
Americans was elected to church leadership positions. Still
among us today from that leadership slate are Sherry Evans
Scaife and Liz Chamberlain. A significant number of dynamic
African American leaders followed in the next few years.
This leadership transition period was also the beginning
of the racial transition, which continued through 1989.
On August 9, 1994, Hope held its last formal worship service
at the Civic Center Drive and Berg Road location. Having
purchased its current location, the former North Congregational
Church for $3.4 million, Hope church members, led by Pastor
Stewart, church leaders, and local and state dignitaries,
made a dramatic and historic statement by walking down Civic
Center Drive to its current location. Just as historic was
the burning of the mortgage ceremony held in 2001, ridding
the church of the $3.4 million debt.
Between 1989 and 1994, Hope United Methodist Church experienced
phenomenal growth. That growth continues today, with current
membership over 4,600. Regular weekly attendance increased
from approximately 40 parishioners in 1985 to over 1,200
in 2002. Clearly, HUMC has been blessed with a membership
explosion. Because of the ever-increasing membership, a
number of significant changes have been made over the years,
notably:
- A second worship service (7:30 a.m.) was added
in 1993. The former 10:00 a.m. worship service was moved
to
10:30 a.m. With the move to its current location in 1994,
a children’s worship service (Jesus Junction) was
established for ages five to 12 years. A worship service
for youth was
added in 1997. This R.O.C.K. (Radicals on Course for the
Kingdom) worship service is for ages 13 to 17. A mid-week
service was also added since the move to the current location.
- The church has grown from two choirs in 1983 (Chancel
choir and Bell choir) to a full music ministry to include
the
following choirs: Gospel, Musica Sacrae, Carlyle Fielding
Stewart III
Children’s, The Voices of Hope (youth), Male Chorus,
and New Millennium.
- Liturgical dance (started in 1990)
was resurrected as The Crossbearers of Hope in 1999.
- The
church has moved from having no ministerial support for
the pastor to a support staff consisting of four full-time
pastors, seven part-time pastors, and 30 lay speakers.
- Since
1983, personnel has increased from one full-time staff
person (the pastor) to 25 full-time and 12 part-time
staff.
- HUMC has grown from offering one weekly Wednesday
night bible study class to ten classes. A variety of classes
are offered
Monday through Friday, with a focus on adults, youth, children,
women and men.
- The number of members and ministries in the
church increased to the point of having to revise the church’s
organizational structure. In 1997, HUMC changed from an
Administrative
Council format (under which all ministries of the church
fell) to
an Administrative Board/Council on Ministries format. Currently
all church ministries (108 in number) fall under the leadership
and direction of a clergy member.
- HUMC’s spirit-filled worship services, phenomenal
growth, and other significant changes can only be attributed
to the Holy Spirit, an abiding faith, and to its gifted and
anointed senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Carlyle Fielding Stewart,
III. Dr. Stewart is clearly a visionary as well as teacher
and preacher. He uses these special gifts from our Heavenly
Father to not only help bring souls to Christ, but to also
help prepare others for the ministry. Under Dr. Stewart’s
tutelage, a number of clergy have trained at Hope and gone
on to either pastor their own churches, to other areas
of ministry, or to retirement. Some of those are: Rev.
Hilda
Harris, Rev. Thomas Taylor, Rev. Henry Williams, Rev. Dr.
Lamarr Gibson, Rev. Dr. Ted Whitely, Rev. Betty Whitely,
Rev. Ken Bryant, Rev. Anthony Hood, Rev. Karen Noel, Rev.
Troy Benton, Rev. Faith Green, Rev. Roy Collins, Rev. Preston
Smyth, Rev. Dr. Gary Williams, Rev. Vivian C. Bryant (senior
associate pastor, emeritus), and Ministers Jacqueline Craighead
and Jacqui Lewis. Current seminary students: Minister Jan
Brown, Ryan Johnson, Teri Montgomery, Steve Pittman,
Ozie Pye, IV, Brian Williams, and Klayvaughn Williams.
Hope’s history continues to be written as we expand
our current site, having built a state-of-the-art gymnasium,
education wing and administrative wing in 2003. A 2,000-seat
sanctuary is Hope’s next Kingdom Building project.
Hope’s rich history, especially its spiritual growth,
can be summed up by its mission statement:
“Hope United Methodist Church is a word-centered,
Holy Spirit-directed body of Christian believers who evangelize,
disciple, empower,
nurture, and educate souls for Jesus Christ.”
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
CELEBRATING 152 YEARS
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