Northside Church celebrated its 75th anniversary with fellowship, remembrances, and music as several hundred members gathered to honor the milestone on Sunday, Oct. 5, and one of its few living charter members was among those reminiscing about its storied history.
Preparing for the momentous occasion, the community collected, documented, and organized the church’s history in a permanent display in the atrium. The history wall includes original works of framed art, archival photographs, and original bulletins.
What began as a group of adults and children gathering to form a new church in 1950 has now blossomed into a community of 5,000 congregants, a preschool, children’s ministry, Wednesday night dinners, volunteer opportunities, and many other ways to get involved.
Some 80 people gathered for the first church meeting on Nov. 12, 1950 at the old Northside High School (now Sutton Middle School). Twenty-three adults with their 20 children committed to becoming members.
The youngest person to join Northside Church that day as founding member in 1950 was 14-year-old Linda Lou Chatfield, now 89. She joined with her sisters, Mimi and Esther, her mother, Linda Chatfield, and her father, Respess “Chat” Chatfield.
Respess Chatfield attended Emory University, as did many of the churchgoers, in that the college had been founded by Methodists in 1836 in Oxford, Ga. The campus moved to Atlanta in 1919.
When Sumlin was born in 1936, her parents lived on 7th Street and Cypress Avenue in Midtown, a block from St. Mark Methodist Church.
“We belonged to St Mark’s, which was an established church in Atlanta, and I [attended] that church,” Sumlin said. “It was interesting because of my age. You had to be 18 to join the Methodist church … but [Northside Church] let me in.”
At the time, some Methodist churches required members to be a certain age. Sumlin considered herself lucky to be a founding charter member at age 14.
Prior to joining Northside Church, the Chatfields moved to “the country” at Dellwood Drive and Collier Road – an intersection that is now in the shadows of Piedmont Hospital.
“I remember one of the most exciting things was [discovering] big farm mules who were eating grass in our front yard one morning. But my father was from the country, so he didn’t think it was unusual. He just got them and took them back to their home,” Sumlin said.
In the weeks following the first church meeting, Rev. Eugene T. and Caroline Drinkard set up a parsonage in a small house on Evergreen Lane furnished with items from the members’ own homes. According to a fellowship class scrapbook written by Eva Reid, “the pantry was well stocked with supplies of all kinds, and the refrigerator was overflowing with ready-cooked foods; such as ham, salads, cakes, pies, and the like.”
Sunday school programs began, and Sumlin served as a teacher in the classroom. She said the responsibility greatly influenced her decision to pursue a career as a public school teacher.
Sumlin’s father was elected president of the first Fellowship Bible class and held that office until 1953. He went on to serve as chairman of the board. Stories are still told about Chatfield, wearing a tweed fedora with a feather, greeting each person who entered the church on Sunday mornings.
By January 1951, Northside Church had established a board of stewards and a steering committee to guide the mission of the church. While many of the volunteers and board members were men, records show that Kathryn Tomlinson “KT” Bridges was one woman responsible for flowers and decor. The Bridges family belonged to the church for more than 60 years.
In November 1952, Northside UMC opened Gilbert Hall. It served as a sanctuary and fellowship hall, and Sunday services continued to be held for the 285 members at Northside High School.
Three years later, in 1955, the membership had more than doubled. In short order, the church built an education building, a sanctuary, a recreation hall, and a parlor under the leadership of W. Candler Budd, who later founded Wesley Woods Geriatric Center.
In 1957, Sumlin graduated in just three years from the University of Georgia and moved back to Atlanta. While living with her parents, she met her future husband, Hulett Dodge Sumlin, on a blind date.
They got married at Northside Church, as did their three sons, Andy, John, and Dodge. The couple was married for 51 years, until Hulett’s death in 2012. According to his obituary, Hulett was a visionary of Piedmont Hospital, having served as administrator from 1956 until his retirement as president and CEO in 1991. “His leadership, business acumen and vision paved the path for Piedmont’s important footprint in the Atlanta community,” the obituary states.
After church on Sundays, while the Sumlin boys were growing up, were spent with Linda and Respess Chatfield. After a lunch of roast beef, potatoes, green beans, and sweet iced tea, Andy, John, and Dodge would run around outside while their grandfather kept a watchful eye.
“My father would go out there and watch every step they took,” Sumlin said. “I had to wash the dishes, yes, but he was out there with them.”
Andy recalled his Aunt Mimi sending documentation of her travels from Africa, Japan, and Guam.
“She would send us reel-to-reel tapes in the mail, and we would listen to them after Sunday lunch,” Andy said.
Both Linda and Hulett Sumlin dedicated their lives to Northside UMC by serving on committees, teaching in the classroom, volunteering their time, and raising their children and grandchildren to appreciate the church community.
One of the few living charter members, Sumlin said she is proud of Northside Church thriving at 75 years. She plans to be interred in the serenity garden alongside her husband.
