The history of the people of Camden called "Methodist" is an interesting and varied one.  With Methodist circuit riders, horse-borne Presiding Elders who traveled from church to church and community to community, Methodism came to this part of the state in the early 1800s.  
   Originally known as the Methodist Episcopal Church South, small churches began to spring up around Wilcox County and the town of Camden.  Originally known as the Cedar Creek Circuit, the Shady Grove Church, the Shelter Church, Tait's Chapel, and Society Hill were all active homes of faithful Christians.  Many of these churches were closed as populations moved around the county.  By the time the Camden church was being established in the mid 1800s, many of these members came to be part of the Camden church. 
    The Camden M. E. Church was founded near the cemetery circa 1826 (Thomas A. Owen, History of Alabama) and was then moved to its present site in 1844.  The present property was bought by the Camden Methodist Church's trustees from Judge and Mrs. John Bridges.  These trustees included Ebenezer Hearn, James Thompson, James Asbury Tait, Henry Compton, and William G. Gilmore.  A wooden frame building was then constructed on the present site to house "religious services."  The Camden Methodist Church's membership in 1863 was 76 souls (Alabama Conference Records).  
   The original structure was replaced in 1882 with a "more adequate structure" (J. E. Tate article, 1944) and this building is reputed to have been destroyed by fire and rebuilt with the brick structure which currently stands on the corner of Broad and Clifton Streets.  
  

     Rev. Tate records that the current building was severely damaged by fire in 1927 but rebuilt to its original design plans.  Fire scorched beams in the sanctuary floors can still be seen in the basement crawl space in the sanctuary.  It's important to note that the beautiful stained glass windows in the sanctuary were installed at the church's centennial celebration in 1944.  These windows honor many individuals, including Rev. Dannelly, a former pastor, and other individuals who have served Christ in our church. 
    In 1954, under the leadership of the Rev. A. B. Carlton, the Camden Methodist Church explanded its building to include a fine fellowship hall and classrooms for its members.  As families in the church grew and spread out in the surrounding community, the church again saw a need to expland its facilities and began working prior to the year 2000 to again expand the chuch building. 
    With of active membership of 273 in the year 2000, under the leadership of Rev. Alan McBride the church appointed a building committee headed by Joe Little to design and undertake our newest fellowship hall and education facility.  The adjoining property of a former motel was purchased to make room for the expansion.  The motel building was razed but a building used as a restaurant was kept for a youth activities center.  A house, used years before as a parsonage and in later years as educational space, was moved from the premises and the present fellowship hall and kitchen was torn down to make way for the new building.  When construction was finished the church now enjoyed new education space, a much larger nursery, administrative offices, and a new and expanded fellowship hall.  Bishop Larry Goodpaster consecrated this new facility to the service of Christ on September 30, 2001. 
   In 2006, the church undertook a renovation of the church sanctuary and took in additional space once used as classrooms to create a larger worship area without changing the existing exterior walls of the building.