When the District Superintendent first approached Rev. Dawn Wright about merging her Atlanta-based church with another church just down the road, she was quite hesitant. Both churches had been established for decades, with their own set of traditions, long –ime staff members and a particular way of doing things. They had completely different demographics and, honestly, neither congregation was particularly interested in the idea. But, as Wright was about to find out, God had bigger plans.
The conversation about the merger between St. Timothy and Allgood Road UMC began in earnest by January of 2022 and their first joint service was held just six months later. It was a whirlwind but, as Wright would later attest, “Our ability to do mission work was on the line. It had to be done. We just needed to rip the Band-aid off and move forward with what God had called us to do.”
Of course, it was one thing to join worship services, but the actual work of coming together as a united congregation was going to be a tall order. To help ease the transition, Wright brought in Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis, President-Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary, who supported congregants and staff in crucial decision making. It was Lewis who guided them in the process of naming their new church and Lewis whose vision for the merger never faltered. With clear steps forward, STAR Community Church was born.
The first major challenge they faced was navigating the sale of the Allgood Road facility and deciding how to use those funds. The finance committee met and decided to open an endowment with the Foundation. Through their investment, they would enjoy regular market gains and the church could pull out an average of 4-6% annually for their operations. In this way, the original endowment can continue to grow while compounding interest helps to finance their mission needs of today.
Three years after the merger, the church has become a beacon of hope not just for their congregation but to others looking for realistic, mission-focused solutions to the issues facing the Methodist church. STAR Community Church had thirteen new members join last year alone, with four baptisms and a burgeoning youth program. They received a BEAT grant to create a STEM program within their STARS Spirit Academy and a grant from Global Ministries specifically aimed at engaging youth in audio production.
Through prayer, guidance from the conference and partnership with entities like the Foundation, the congregation at STAR Community Church has continued to thrive. Their faithful congregants joined together and took a leap of faith that is paying dividends.
At the Foundation, our purpose is to support the mission of STAR Community Church and others like them who need guidance making their mission dreams become a reality.