1885 To Present
Location
At the intersection of Old Boones Creek Rd. and Thompson Rd., Jonesborough, TN.
History
In 1882 the Prichett family deeded an acre of land for the church. The deed states, “for and in consideration of the love we have for the cause of Christ and from an earnest desire to promote his heritage on earth, we do give and grant these presentsÉ for the use and benefits of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.”
The original frame structure was erected during the summer of 1885. The name “Marvin” was given to the church in honor of Bishop Enoch Marvin who died in 1877, just a few years prior to the organization of the church. J.W. Wolf was appointed as the first minister.
For years the Church was part of the Johnson City Circuit, but it later became part of the Jonesborough Charge. The sanctuary of the original building was completed and dedicated in 1937. In 1953, the parsonage was built, and Marvin’s Chapel and Fairview became a charge that continued until May 1998.
The seed for a new sanctuary was planted in 1982 when Rev. Rusty Taylor was pastor. In 1985 the church purchased 1.99 acres adjacent to the church and used a portion of that land for a paved parking lot. Rev. Dennis Loy conducted a ground-breaking ceremony in 1990. In 1991 the congregation assembled in the old sanctuary and were led in a procession by the older adults to our new church.
Nineteen and ninety-eight marked a major turning point in the life of Marvin’s Chapel United Methodist Church. Under the direction of Rev. Darryl Ross and through two years of planning, Marvin became a Station Church. On Martha Yeoman’s first Sunday at Marvin, Fairview sent a beautiful floral arrangement to congradulate us on becoming a Station and to send their best wishes.
Ministers
Forty-five pastors have served the church since it’s founding in 1882. The first five pastors changed appointments after approximately one year. The sixth, J.R. Chambers, stayed for four years and each of the other pastors stayed form one to six or more years. Many of these early pastors rode horses to fill appointments and to visit their members. They were not always paid in case but may have been paid in summer vegetables, flour, meal, dried beans, etc. The ministers were:
| J.W. Wolf | J.F. Folgeman | Roy Scoggins |
| John Boring | P.P. Martin | A.F. Wilke |
| W.R. Barnett | W.I. Hannah | John S. Deck |
| F.D. Cnimley | H.D. Hamilton | M.C. Weikel |
| W.D. Mitchell | L.A. Harmon | Buford Hankins |
| J.R. Chambers | Charles B. Davis | Jack Mosier |
| J.D. Acres | F.H. Yankee | Robert Frost |
| J.F. Wampler | W.H. Dial | David Warden |
| R.E. Smith | G.W. Atkinson | Frank Settle |
| E.H. Bogle | Ben B. St. Clair | J. Russell Taylor |
| M.D. Mitchell | Frank Thompson | Virgil Booher |
| J.H. Grosclose | Ed Steffner | Dennis Loy |
| D.A. Herron | E.L. Shupe | Robert Countess |
| G.D. French | O.C. Wright | Darryl Ross |
| B.W. Lee | Sterling Turner | Martha Yeomans |
From the files of the Holston Conference of the Methodist Church Archives, Kelly Library, Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA.