Bell Buckle United Methodist Church - Lifting up the name of Jesus in middle Tennessee

Welcome to Bell Buckle United Methodist Church ~ a place of worship for all of God's people.
Bell Buckle United Methodist Church has a long history of being a welcoming congregation. We love having guests and we pray that your time with us will be a blessed time of sharing love, life and laughter. May you experience the love of God in Jesus Christ through the people and ministries of BBUMC. Our blended services are rich in tradition with a twist of the contemporary. We celebrate our God and rejoice through music of old and new. We study His scripture so that we may better shine His light in our world. We use the Bible as our life guide and connect its timely messages to the challenges of today's world. We welcome you to join us in the study and celebration of our Lord and Savior. We offer a preschool program (open to all community members) two days a week to help teach our children about God's love. Our youth program (for grades 6-12) meets on Sunday afternoons for youth fellowship and Youth Outreach meets on Wednesday evenings. Fellowship opportunities for adults include Bible study, fellowship breakfasts, and much more. The church was founded in 1807, and the church's current building was erected in 1893. We think BBUMC has much to offer God's people of every age, ethnicity, and worhip style, and we welcome the opportunity to you to let us prove it.

Regularly Scheduled Services and Meetings	History of BBUMC
*Sunday* 9:00 am Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 12:00 pm Youth (grades 6th-12th) 7:00 pm Sons of Thunder (Men's Accountability/Study) *Monday* 6:30 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry *Wednesday* *6:00 pm Children and Youth activities on break for summer 6:30 pm Adult Bible Study Thursday 6:00 pm Women's Bible Study** * Church bus transportation is available in the local area. Please contact the church at 931-389-6021 if you would like a ride to church. David Adams, Pastor *Pastor's Office Hours are normally Monday-Thursday 8:30-4:00.*	Settlers came to the area in 1792, and in 1807 a meeting of the masses concluded that a Methodist church was to be built near the present site of the Salem Cemetary. The church was built in the cemetary's center, and in 1875 a brick church was erected by the Reverend A.T. Crawford on the west side of the railroad, and it was named Bell Buckle Methodist Church. In 1866 The Webb School relocated to Bell Buckle from Cullleoka, and Sawney Webb, the school's founder, desired and developed a close relationship with the church, a relationship that exists to this day. The present-day church was built in 1893, and the first service was held on the Sunday after Christmas and was conducted by its pastor, Reverend James Craig. The two front windows were sealed in 1932 when the pipe organ, a gift from Arch Latimer, was installed. The Sunday school classrooms were added in the 1920's. The Sunday school superintendent was Gerald Follin, The Webb School's headmaster. He believed in a strong children's Christian ministry, a philosophy and impact still vital to the church's goals. A farming community, Bell Buckle ceased to grow as young people, seeking employment, left the erea. After years of very little growth, Bell Buckle began to revive as an arts and crafts town and people began to move to the area again. Because of a decline in church membership, only necessary maintenance had been done to the building. With memorial monies, an increase in visitors, and new members, an ambitious program of renovation and development was begun in 1995. God sent many capable and talented craftsmen and workers to the church. We all worked together, each according to their abilities and gifts. All the time we were renovating our building, God was also working on our hearts and minds. We studied His word and tried to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. We grew in love and numbers daily. In 1999 we began a major new building program. The addition added a fellowship hall and kitchen accessible to all our members. A lower level of classrooms has allowed us to offer a Preschool program to our community. God blessed us again with many financial gifts and we have a wonderful new building with a very small mortgage. It is our desire for Bell Buckle United Methodist Church to be a lampstand for the gospel of Jesus Christ to the surrounding area.

Lectionary Readings