Odum Methodist Church
501 Church Street | Odum, GA

The roots of Odum Methodist Church date back to 1888 when Odum Mission, located two miles north of Odum, became part of the Brentwood Charge.  Godfrey Odum deeded half an acre of land for a parsonage on February 14, 1888 at an undetermined location.

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Two years later, Rev. William Thomas Rea began four years of service at the Brentwood Charge.  In 1891, fifteen people joined the church after a ten-day tent meeting.  Later that year, Godfrey Odum deeded a quarter of an acre of land for a church., built by Reverend Rea in 1892, and named Rea’s Chapel.  When his wife died in October, Rev. Rea conducted the funeral at the new church.  She is believed to be the first person buried in the cemetery adjacent to the church building. 

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In 1925, additional property was secured for a new parsonage in Odum. 

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In 1930, the old church was replaced with a new one.  The men of the church added a new fellowship hall and Sunday School annex between 1959 and 1960.  Stained glass windows were added to the sanctuary around 1965, after the merger of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Evangelical United Brethren created the United Methodist Church.  Several years later the men added a well-equipped kitchen.  The church steeple came in 1984.  New landscaping, complete with a sprinkler system, was installed in 1986 as the church approached its centennial celebration.

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In 1993, an antique glass cabinet, once used in the Hires’ General Merchandise and Market in downtown Odum, was given to the church.  It sits in our fellowship hall, where it holds historical memorabilia. 

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At one time, Odum was part of a three-point charge that included Piney Grove and Screven. In 1989 they donated the Piney Grove church to another congregation. Since that time, Odum and Screven have shared the charge.

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In 2022, the church made the difficult decision to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church, and became an affiliate of the new Global Methodist denomination.  A year later, they entered into a season where they went without a pastor for nearly ten months.  Lay Leader Glynn Horton continued to teach Sunday School and brought a message every Sunday until in April of 2024, Dr. Dean Slusser of St. Marys, Georgia was called to serve.  Pastor Dean and his wife, Susan, travel to Wayne County every Sunday for services, and every Wednesday for morning Bible Study in Odum, the chance to visit with members and shut-ins, and evening dinner and Bible Study in Screven. 

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God knows the plans He has for us. We are confident that the rich history of Odum Methodist Church just getting started, but we are sure it is filled with wonderful stories from the past.  If you have stories (or photographs) to share about the life of the church, please reach out to Pastor Dean.  His email address is pastordean.gmc@gmail.com