Akin Memorial United Methodist Church, located in the pineywoods of southern Wayne County, is one of the loveliest examples of a simple rural sanctuary in Georgia. Its interior is among the finest we have seen in a country church. For more than a century, this building has served as a place where families gathered to worship, learn, and find inspiration.

The church was originally built of virgin heart pine lumber in 1892 by Lawrence Randall Akin, who dedicated it as Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church. Akin had moved to Mt. Pleasant from Camden County as a child, and in 1884 he married Jane Brown, also from Camden. He had vowed he wanted twelve children, and indeed twelve were born in less than twenty-three years. A conservative lumber and turpentine man, banker, legislator, and devoted family man, Akin even went so far as to build his own church to accommodate his large household and the surrounding community.

The early congregation was made up of mill workers, railroad employees, commissary clerks, and neighbors from nearby Everett City and Gardi. Preachers rode in each Sunday from Jesup to lead services. Over the decades, the church passed through various circuits in Wayne, Glynn, and McIntosh Counties. For about fifty years it was the spiritual heart of Mt. Pleasant, a small but thriving sawmill town.

By the 1920s, however, poor land management and over-cutting brought the lumber industry to an end. The mill closed, the community declined, and the church began to fade. By the early 1940s, only a handful of members remained, and the Methodist Conference considered closing the doors.

Fortunately, a new chapter began. Brunswick Pulp and Paper Company had purchased much of the surrounding land, bringing in new families. Retired Rev. John Swain of Darien began holding monthly services, and soon interest grew in restoring the old building. With the efforts of member Edith McIntosh and the financial support of Akin descendants—including Ruth Akin Hightower—the sanctuary was repaired and rededicated. At that time, it was renamed Akin Memorial in honor of its founder.

Today, thanks to the dedication of the Akin family and local community members, this beautiful church endures. Its heart pine construction, graceful simplicity, and story of rebirth make it a true jewel of rural Georgia’s spiritual and cultural heritage.