In 1893, William Tatum Neill recorded the history of Bethel Church as told to him by Greenberry Neill. His words give us a vivid picture of the church’s beginnings.

On June 14, 1839, Guilford R. and Susan E. Otwell donated two and a half acres to trustees L. C. Stewart, Josiah Neill, A. Thompson, Peter B. Terel, and Samuel Neill for the Methodist Episcopal Church. Records show the congregation had already been organized in October 1838 by Rev. John Simmons, followed by a succession of pastors through the years.

The first burial in the church cemetery was a child in March 1839. Josiah Neill was buried that August, along with Josiah Stewart, later the same year. Membership rolls from 1857 list 89 men and 93 women; by 1864, there were 93 men and 108 women. The earliest meeting minutes reference a quarterly meeting of the Coweta Circuit and the appointment of trustees and a church secretary. Before Bethel was organized, Rev. John Renolds preached in the area, holding services in the home of Josiah and Mrs. Neill, who had moved from South Carolina in 1836. With no nearby place of worship, they invited Rev. Renolds, a blacksmith from Freeman’s Crossroads, to lead services through the fall of 1837.

In 1838, neighbors built a brush arbor, and with the help of Rev. John Bigly, a local preacher, the decision was made to formally organize a church. The first to join was Josiah Neill; his wife was the third. Martha Stewart was the second and remained a member until her death in 1859. A collection of $65 funded the first log meeting house in 1839. In 1844, a larger building was constructed from hewn timber and dressed lumber. The current structure, still in use today, was built between 1895 and 1900. Bethel’s history is one of faith, community, and perseverance, rooted in the devotion of early settlers who carved out a place for worship in the Georgia wilderness.