History

Mt. Bethel’s history began in 1840 when 16 charter members organized Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church in East Cobb County. Over 160 years later, Mt. Bethel is still serving the Greater Atlanta area.

Located approximately one-half mile east of the intersection of Lower Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road, Mt. Bethel’s first house of worship was a one-room log structure with a dirt floor. That original church land is located at what is now the corner of Richmond Hill and Charlsie Drive, and the original cemetery located there contains graves with markers dating back to 1859.

Mt. Bethel remained at its original location until the late 1870’s. At that time, dedication and determination resulted in a new church at the intersection of Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Road. Shortly thereafter, this church building burned, but members and others in the community soon erected another one-room church on the same site.

Today, this same building serves as Mt. Bethel’s chapel and is used for church services, communion, weddings and meetings. The church’s original graveyard – now a protected cemetery at the Johnson Ferry-Lower Roswell location – still exists on the northeast corner of this busy intersection.

Over the next 100 years, Mt. Bethel went through periods of growth and expansion in both their membership and buildings. With each growth spurt, the campus was expanded for the increasing membership. To date, Mt. Bethel has occupied six houses of worship – four of which are still present on our main campus on Lower Roswell Road. These historic landmarks continue to add beauty and a sense of history to our Mt. Bethel experience.

Join us this Sunday to see how God has blessed the growth and development of Mt. Bethel UMC over the past 170 years.