The origin of what is now Trinity United Methodist Church dates back to the early 1800s. The area served by the original church was part of the old Bladen Circuit which extended from the Pee Dee River to the Cape Fear River. Two Circuit Rider pastors served at a yearly salary of $64.00 each, and it required two weeks to get around the Circuit.
Robeson Circuit, comprising Robeson County, was formed before the Civil War form part of the old Bladen Circuit. Bethesda Church, located near what is now Barnesville, was the only Methodist Church between Lumberton, NC and Marion, SC. About 1854, John W. Powell, a wealthy unmarried planter whose Virginia born mother missed her church, built Hopewell Methodist Church as a place for family worship two miles east of what is now Fairmont. The pews were divided into four parts, in order to accommodate white men and women and colored men and women, and to include his more than one hundred slaves who worshipped with him. The grand old Methodist pioneer preacher loved to raise song and shout from colored as well as white. The pastor and junior preacher with saddle bag filled with books and clothing had little time for rest, as they had from ten to twenty preaching places to keep them busy.
In order to accommodate members of Hopwell Methodist Episcopal Church, who lived on the north side of Ashpole Swamp, Corinth Methodist Episcopal Church South was built about 1872 on the White Pond road four miles southeast of Fairmont. The Reverend John Tillett, the first pastor in charge was followed by the Reverend Ira T. Wyche. Both churches were on the Robeson Charge, which consisted in 1888 of Asbury, Centenary, Bethesda, Olivet, Hopewell, and Corinth churches in the Fayetteville District with Reverend J. Sanford in charge, living in the parsonage which had been built beside Hopewell Church.
In 1895 as the first Quarterly Conference held at Corinth, Dr. W. A. Oliver presented the following resolution: Resolved: That it is the opinion of this Quarterly Conference that Hopewell and Corinth churches should be consolidated and a new church be erected at some central point for the use of the two congregations.
At the third Quarterly Conference August 15, 1896, the Reverend E. Pope, Pastor in Charge, adopted a resolution for consolidation, Authority was then granted the Trustees of Hopewell and Corinth churches to sell their church property. The following were elected as a building committee to procure a site and build a church G.D. Floyd, chairman, R.O. Pittman, F.S. Floyd, Archibald Thompson, and Albert Floyd. A second committee was elected to secure a suitable site for a parsonage and this committee bought part of the present Atlantic Coast Line depot plot, but later sold it to the railroad company at a profit of $200.00. A second site was purchased from Atlas Bullock. A plot 50 feet by 250 feet was later bought from A.J. Floyd by the Ladies Aid Society of Trinity Church in order to enlarge the site.
The new church, a wooden structure named Trinity, was built on the parsonage land at a cost of $1,100.00. The name was suggested by Mrs. F.C. Jones. There were forty nine members.
In 1917, during the pastorate of the Reverend B. E. Stanfield, a movement began for the construction of a new church building, and a building fund was begun. During the pastorate of W.F. Traywick, with a building committee consisting of J.H. Pitman, G.H. Floyd, J.M. Andrews, C.A. Floyd, A.S. Thompson and G.H. Cole, treasurer, plans were adopted and building material was placed on the site. The church was constructed chiefly in 1924 under the Reverend N.B. Johnson. Mr. Joe Jones supervised the construction and Cooper and Son of Maxton were the architects. The beautiful brick structure was completed at a cost of $30,000, $6,000 of which was borrowed. The Reverend J.E. Blalock reported to the fourth Quarterly Conference in 1936 that $2,000 had been spent on improvements, and that the debt incurred for the building had been liquidated.
Trinity Methodist Church, having a membership of 348, was dedicated Sunday, July 16th, 1939, by Bishop W.W. Peele. The Reverend F.B. Joyner was the pastor at the time of the dedication. The Golden Anniversary of Trinity United Methodist Church was celebrated in 1948, during the pastorate of Reverend Daniel Lane, with the dedication of a new brick parsonage which cost $18,000.
During the pastorate of the Reverend C.H. Mercer, plans for a new Educational Building were begun. ON November 26th, 1956, during the pastorate of the Reverend J.D.A. Autry, $50,000 was reported in the building fund, and it was decided to begin construction. The Building Committee was composed of G.H. Floyd, chairman, W.B. Lennon, treasurer, Mrs. Christine McDaniel, W. Carlton Floyd, and H.J. Rawls. Holloway and Reeves of Raleigh were the architects. On May 4, 1957, G.H. Floyd, chairman, reported that the contract was let to A.C. Carter of Whiteville for $82,000 plus sub-contracts which made a total of $100,021. Robert Floyd was appointed treasurer of the building fund after the death of W.B. Lennon; and in 1962, he reported that the final payment had been made on the $40,000 bank loan.
The Church School Superintendents at Hopewell were S.W. Ashley, R.O. Pitman, June E. Ashley, and J.W. Ashley, Archibald Thompson was superintendent at Corinth for practically all the twenty-five years of its existence and the first superintendent of Trinity Church School. Listed are the Trinity Church School Superintendents.
1898-99
Archibald Thompson
1900-07
P.B. Thompson
1908-23
A.S. Thompson
1924-31
E.W. Floyd
1932-35
W.R. Taylor
1936-58
W.C. Ashley
1958
. Wiley Taylor, Jr.
1959-63
Dr. Dan Floyd
1963
. Cliff Ashley
Five preachers have entered fulltime ministry from Trinity Church: Chester J. Andrews, Larry Barnes, Albert Fleet Fisher, James Ralph Oliver, and David D. Traynham.
Trinity Church has an illustrious past. With Gods hand continuing to lead, the future should provide challenges to which the congregation will rally and respond.
The following pastors have served what is now the Trinity United Methodist Church since 1854. J.C. Sinclair, J.B. Martin, S.D. Adams, Rev. Mr. Plyer, Paul J. Chafin, William Jordan, John Tillett, Ira T. Wyche, B.R. Hall, J.J. Carden, M.W. Boyles, C.M. Pepper.
1888
J. Sanford
1889-90
.. S.V. Hoyle
1891-92
.. N.U. Journey
1893-94
.. J. Sanford
1895-98
.. E. Pope
In 1898 Hopewell and Corinth churches consolidated into Trinity Methodist Church in Fairmont: The following pastors served since 1899:
1899-1900
.. J.T. Harrison
1901-02
.. B.C. Allred
1903-06
.. J.M. Ashley
1907-08
.. T.J. Daily
1909-11
.. C.W. Smith
1912-13
.. S.T. Moyle
1914-17
B.E. Stanfield
1918-19
J.T. Draper
1920-23
W.F. Traywick
1924-26
N.B. Johnson
1927-30
F.B. Peele
1931-34
J.W. Bradley
1935-38
. J.E. Blalock (died during pastorate here)
1938
....... W.R. Dixon (last half of year)
1939-42
F.B. Joyner
1943-47
B.F. Boone
1948-51
Daniel Lane
1952-56
C.H. Mercer
1956-58
J.D.A. Autry
1958-60
M.W. Maness
1960-61
W.C. Feltman
1961-65
Paul Browning
1965-70
Ralph Epps
1970-73
Charles E. Owens
1973-77..
.. Robert M. Drew
1977-81
Noah B. Hill, Jr.
1981-87
Robert F. Moore
1987-92
Jim Harris
1992-94
Franklin Grill
1994-95
Herman Winberry
1995-96
Troy Todd
1996-97
Kimberly Pollock
1997-01
Debra Watson
2001-02
Sherry James
2002-07
Marc H. Werner
2007-10
Harold D. Salmon
2010 (Present)
.. Rich Denning
