Historical Facts & Links to Emanuel's History

The following historical information was taken from documentation located at the Arthur J Moore Museum at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

New Hope Church, the immediate predecessor of Emanuel church was established at Laurel Grove Plantation in the colonial home of the Pyles family, sometime during the year 1799. The first building was erected as one small room made from hand-honed lumber construction joined together with wooden pegs. The earlier circuit/charge assignments were in the St. Mary's and St. Illa that served Camden and Glynn counties. The first pastor mentioned in writings was Reverend George Clark.  However, church writings also mention that there were four others used as Itinerant ministers, known as circuit rides. They were respectively; William H. Lawton, W.G.M. Quarterman, Benjamin C. Franklin, and Francis A. Ratcliffe.

Later in 1833, the church was moved to its present site to be more centrally located as a place of worship and education in the Brookman Community and the name was changed to “Immanuel”.  As years passed the officials of the church began to spell the name as it now appears, "Emanuel.”

The original sanctuary structure has been preserved but was enlarged to include six Sunday school rooms, a fellowship hall, a kitchen, a nursery, two offices and two bathrooms. A steeple was also added.

Interesting Facts:

• Emanuel is the oldest church in Glynn County and was given the name "Mother of Methodism in Glynn County".
• The oldest South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church was June 20, 1829 at New Hope Church. The first missionary society was organized in Glynn County and held at Emanuel on March 1, 1856.
• The first missionary society was organized in Glynn County during the quarterly South Georgia Conference held at Emanuel on Saturday, March 1, 1856.
• South Georgia conference held its first quarterly conference in Glynn County at Emanuel in 1867.
• An outstanding achievement of Emanuel was the establishment of the Helen Scarlett Memorial at Vashti Institute for girls at Thomasville, Georgia. Emanuel gave $1,255.00 for the establishment of this Memorial in the form of a well-equipped domestic science room.

Bishop Cannon Dedicates the Emanuel Historical Marker. See Article Here.

Link to a map and photo of the Emanuel Historical Marker located at the corner of Hwy 82 and Ratcliffe Rd.