FAIR OAKS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (MARIETTA, GA.).
Fair Oaks United Methodist Church (Marietta, Ga.) records, 1945-2020

Restrictions on Access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Source

Gift, 2020.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Fair Oaks United Methodist Church records, RG 095, Archives and Manuscript Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by Shoshana Edelberg, November 2020.

Historical Note

Fair Oaks Methodist Church was founded in the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Marietta in 1950, and expanded rapidly throughout the decade, in terms of both new facilities and new services. The first pastor was Emory University student, Sam A. Banks. The church hosted the first meeting of the Women’s Society of Christian Service in its inaugural year, and added several other groups by its fourth year, including the Methodist Men’s Club and the Methodist Youth Fellowship.

Fair Oaks Methodist Church continued to grow throughout the 1960s, purchasing an adjacent property and adding a new building with a sanctuary and a chapel. In the 1980s, it expanded its music and youth ministries, and it celebrated its Year of Jubilee in 2000. The church came to describe itself as “an inclusive, reconciling community” committed to maintaining safety and sanctuary for all races, cultures, ages, sexual orientations, family structures, economic situations, and mental or physical conditions. Fair Oaks closed in 2020.

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains administrative documents, bulletins, meeting minutes, charge conference reports, financial reports, materials related to the church property and scrapbooks. The scrapbooks and photo albums portray church staff, members and activities over the span of decades. Some contain only photographs, others contain newspaper clippings, worship service programs and fliers, while others are organized like yearbooks, with photos, clippings, histories, worship service programs, fliers, invitations and financial documents grouped and labeled in chronological order. Each one provides a detailed snapshot of the church in a moment of time; taken together, they capture the entire lifetime and lifespan of Fair Oaks United Methodist Church. There is also a bound volume of church history from 1950-2000, which helps put the photo albums and scrapbooks in perspective.

Arrangement Note

Organized into six series: (1) Bulletins, Messengers, and Board Meeting Minutes, 1951-2005; (2) Charge and Quarterly Conference, 1950-2006; (3) Administrative Records, 1956-2008, undated; (4) Finances, 1981-2001; (5) Building and Property, 1945-2015; and (6) Scrapbooks, 1960-2018.