The First United Methodist Church of Enterprise was organized in 1883 with 13 charter members.  The first services were conducted in a brush arbor and a school. This early congregation was served by a circuit rider, who also preached at other locations. Later in 1883 to avoid the coming winter, the first building was erected on North Main Street. In 1893 a larger structure was constructed. The location of both of these buildings was near the city cemetery. In the early years our church shared a pastor with other churches.  In 1898 the Rev. George William Jones was assigned to the Enterprise church alone.  During his ministry the first parsonage was constructed on the North Main Street property. 

          Among the most notable features of our sanctuary are the beautiful windows. These stained glass windows are original to this structure and have been repaired only as needed.  An unusual feature of the windows in our church is that each wall features a different color. You will notice that the colors used are the liturgical colors of the church year. Throughout its 2000 year history, the Christian Church has used colors to symbolize seasons of the Christian year and themes of our faith. On the window that faces Main Street the predominant color is green. Green is the most commonly used color of the church year.  Green symbolizes our life in Christ and our continued growth in Him.

          The color purple of the north facing window is used during the seasons of Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (the season leading up to Easter).  Purple is the color of both penitence and royalty.  Blue may also be used during Advent and is a color of hope and has long been associated with the Virgin Mary.  White and gold are festive colors used for the celebratory times of the year such as Christmas and Easter and is always used for weddings in the church.  These festive colors are featured throughout the windows.

          The red windows are very unusual. Red is the color of fire and is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit. Red is the least used liturgical color with its primary use being on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Disciples.

These windows do not depict biblical scenes as many church windows do, but instead feature an early 20^th century geometric pattern.          

          Located in the chancel area is the baptismal font. This marble font was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Creshull in memory of Mrs. Ann T. Harrison. The approximate date of this gift was about the time of the building of our sanctuary in 1904.  

          Christianity is rich with symbols. In the early church, symbols were a way for the believers to make themselves known secretly to one another, and also symbols provided a way of communicating to worshipers who could neither read nor write. The architectural details of many churches often contain subtle reminders of the Trinity or the Cross. The Main Street wall of the Sanctuary with the three tall windows is the only wall of windows containing an obvious three, but the bottom detail of each window is in the shape of a four petaled flower reminding the worshiper of the cross. The carved detail on the end of each pew is also a reference to the cross.  Another reminder in wood is the carving of the top panels of the original outside doors of the Sanctuary. The three arches are a reference to the Trinity with the center one being the tallest as it represents God the Father.

          The seven branched candelabra have several meanings. Seven is a number of perfection as well as a symbol of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It also recalls the seven-branched Menorah of our Jewish heritage.

          The central focus of the sanctuary is the pulpit.  This fits in with our Protestant Evangelical heritage where the proclaiming of the Word of God is central to our worship.  This pulpit is quite plain, adorned only with two narrow Bible markers that reflect the liturgical color of the appropriate season.

          Just in front of and on a lower level is the altar table.  It, too, is part of our worship center and  has a dual function.  It is the altar of the church upon which we place our offerings to God, and it is the communion table where we place the elements of the Holy Communion.  You will notice that there are two candles on this table.  Lighted candles represent the presence of God in our worship, and the two candles represent the dual nature of Jesus Christ, who is at once both fully God and fully human.  If you are looking for a Trinitarian symbol here, notice that the pedestals of the candle sticks are three tiered, and that symbolizes Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Likewise, the brass cross on the table has the three tiered base.  The cross is our most basic Christian symbol, and it is central on the altar table.  We cover the table with a scarf or runner in the color of the season, except when the communion elements are on it.  These we cover with a fair linen cloth.

          There is also a cross in the center of the organ screen.  This cross was dedicated to the memory of Rev. William Stuart Guice, who was a pastor of our church. The quatrefoils (four rounded leaflets) that make up the pattern of the organ screen signify the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

          One of the richest sources for symbols in our sanctuary are our needlepoint altar rail kneeling cushions. These cushions were an ongoing project of a group of our United Methodist Women in the late 1970’s. Mrs. Lily Hill of Auburn, Alabama, selected the symbols to be used and designed the patterns for the cushions. She along with 14 women of our church lovingly stitched the cushions. They feature symbols that depict God, Jesus, the Disciples, the Apostle Paul, the Old and New Testaments, and John Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church. You will also notice the Methodist cross and flame on the cushions at each end of the rail.

          The center cushion represents the Trinity.  The hand in the center is the hand of God reaching down from Heaven to create the world. The thumb and two fingers extended form a sign of the three-in-one.  The earth is shown moving from day to night, which symbolizes the creation of light and the creation of the order of day, night, and time.  Jesus is depicted as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The dove is the most familiar symbol for the Holy Spirit. At Jesus’ baptism we are told that the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. You see smaller symbols for the Father and the Son behind the dove. The top corner symbols are the Alpha and Omega – the interlocking A and O. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.  We remember that Jesus Christ said “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

         The cushions around the Trinity cushion contain symbols that have traditionally represented the disciples.

          One example is the cushion that represents Thomas, Andrew and the Apostle Paul. Thomas, perhaps best known as Doubting Thomas, gave his life to his belief in Jesus as the Son of God and died a martyr by the spear in India. He is thought to have built the first house of worship in India and thus we see the carpenter’s rule in his shield.

          Andrew, the brother of Peter, is thought to have been crucified on this X type cross in Greece, so it is depicted here on his shield.  Paul, while not one of the twelve, was chosen as the Apostle to the Gentiles and writer of the great Epistles. The open book on his shield signifies the Word of God, and the words SPIRITUS GLADIUS mean Sword of the Spirit. In Ephesians 6:17 Paul writes, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

       Cushions representing the Old and New Testaments are placed here to show that our belief is based on the Word of God. The New Testament is represented here by symbols of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The center symbol is the empty Resurrection Cross showing that although Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, He lives. The Easter Lilies are a symbol of the Resurrection as well. The IHS Cross is a monogram of Jesus formed from the Greek word for Jesus.  Likewise, the Chi Rho (PX) is a monogram derived from the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ. Constantine, Emperor of Rome, had the Chi Rho placed on the shields of his soldiers.

          The Old Testament has as its central event the giving of the Law of God to Moses. The tablets of the Law appear as the center symbol. The seven-branched candle stand is here, as well as the burning bush representing the call of Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of captivity.

          The symbol of the United Methodist Church is found at both ends of the Communion rail. The United Methodist symbol has the cross as its center, its name to one side and the two-tongued flame signifying the Holy Spirit on the other side. Also on the cushion depicted here is the Christian Year Wheel. It is an ancient visual aid used by the early church. At its center is the monogram IHS to show that all belief begins in Jesus. It is divided into quarters by a cross. Begin at what would be nine o’clock and read clockwise. You see the purple color of Advent followed by the White for Christmas. Each season has its own small symbol and its own liturgical color.         

          One of the most notable features of our church at Christmas time is the beautiful decorating. At the center of our decorations are the Chrismon trees.  The history of the Chrismon was begun when Mrs. Frances Spencer of Danville, Virginia, was asked to make decorations for her church’s Christmas tree. Not wanting to use colored balls and other secular ornaments, she began making decorations using only the colors white and gold and symbols that represented Jesus Christ and the actual meaning of Christmas.  In 1957 Mrs. Spencer coined the term Chrismon for these special decorations. The word Chrismon is a combination of the words Christ and monogram.  Hence, a Chrismon is made up of initials or symbols of Jesus Christ.

          The trees on which the Chrismons are placed are to be green, for the evergreen tree is symbolic of the everlasting life we receive through Jesus Christ. The lights on the trees are to be white, and the lights are symbolic of Jesus who is the Light of the World.  Only two colors, white and gold, are used for the Chrismons because white is the liturgical color for Christmas and gold reminds us of the majesty and glory of Jesus, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

          The tradition of Chrismons began in our church in 1973 when Mrs. Wynel Whittaker received a Christmas card with a picture of a Chrismon tree. She began to research the tradition, and she and other women of the church began to make preparations for our first sacred Christmas tree. The tradition continued in this manner until 1987 when Addison and Melissa Paul gave two 12 foot Chrismon Trees in honor of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Yancey Cader Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Floyd Paul. They were dedicated on November 28, 1987. The Pauls worked for over three years making more than 500 individual Chrismons, and they continue to give of their time unselfishly to put up the trees and decorate our Sanctuary every Advent Season.  In addition to the Chrismons, the Pauls created two Chrismon wreaths and two heralding angels which hover around the cross. They raise golden horns above the congregation to proclaim the glory of Christ’s birth. A third angel, suspended in the center aisle was added for the tenth anniversary of the Chrismons in 1997.

 "The W. E. Law Memorial Organ"

          The Music Ministry of our church has been the beneficiary of some wonderful instruments that enhance our worship every week.    On Sunday, August 12, 1923, our organ was dedicated during a service that featured a concert by an organist from Birmingham. The organ was a gift from Mrs. Malinda Rowe Law as a memorial to her husband.  Descendants of the Law family are the Ed Sherling family who have remained great friends of the instrument. The organ is a 1923 Austin Organ which features a unique walk-in wind chest. You can actually step inside the organ. It was completely refurbished in 2002, and is still a magnificent instrument.

          The 1929 Steinway piano was a gift in memory of James Benjamin Byrd and Mattie Parker Byrd by their daughters in December 1953.

          Here in the Chancel you will see some of our Hand bells. The original two octaves were purchased by the Walton Huey family as a memorial gift honoring Mr. Huey. When Mr. Huey was dying he described for his family his glimpse into heaven and remarked that he could hear the bells of heaven. This was the inspiration for his family’s gift to the church. Over the years the Huey family and others have continued to support this ministry and we now have five octaves of bells.    Three annexes have been added to our Sanctuary building in 1922, 1949 and 1954. The building now referred to as the Old Fellowship Hall was built in 1963, enlarged in 1974, and a second story Youth Department was added in 1989. Our newest additions were completed this summer. A new Fellowship Hall featuring a parlor, bridal suite, kitchen and a spacious seating area with multimedia capabilities will allow many opportunities for fellowship and worship. Our new Family Life Center features a full basketball court, weight room, walking track, game area and meeting rooms. We look forward to the outreach and enrichment of our congregation that this space will afford.

          For more than one hundred years, Christians have gathered every Sunday in this space to praise and worship God.  Our heritage is rich indeed, and our future is bright.  Let us be fully committed to continuing the great tradition of worship that we are so blessed to enjoy.