During the early 1900s, a group of Methodists were meeting at Holt’s School House that was between Albemarle and New London. They formed an official congregation about 1912. The new church, known as Bethany Methodist Episcopal Church, met for a time under a brush arbor until they were able to build a wood frame church building. The first minister was Rev. Scott Owens. In September 1928, the church members decided they wanted a new building, so they set out to raise money. According to the May 16, 1929 Albemarle Press, construction began around Dec. 1, 1928 and the first service was held in the new building on the first Sunday of January in 1929. The first parsonage was built in 1953 and was dedicated on Sept. 9, 1956. The education building was built in 1965 and was dedicated on Jan. 24, 1969. Due to changes in the structure of the Methodist Churches in the United States, Bethany was ne-named Bethany Methodist in 1939 and later Bethany United Methodist Church in 1968. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}