On January 11, 1920, 57 people met to express their desire to become a Methodist congregation on the new Druid Hills campus of Emory University. The preacher that day was Bishop Warren A. Candler, brother of Asa G. Candler, the founder of the Coca-Cola Company. On February 15, 1920, the Emory University Methodist Church was formally organized.
The chapel in the university's Candler School of Theology was the congregation's first home. In 1930, a decision was made to build a beautiful new sanctuary on the campus. As plans unfolded, the members learned that the new building would be a memorial to the Rev. Wilbur Fisk Glenn, an Emory alumnus who for fifty years had been a Methodist minister and a leader of the church in the South.
On October 4, 1931, the congregation held its first service in the new building, Glenn Memorial. A university publication reported, "At last the campus and the community have a real church edifice in which to worship, and for a few years, at least, Emory will have an auditorium large enough to accommodate its graduation exercises, musical concerts, and lectures." More than 80 years later, Glenn and Emory still share this space, which has been the basis of a strong and ever-growing relationship.
The Church School Building was dedicated in 1940 and created a space for administrative offices, Sunday School rooms, and The Little Chapel. In 1963, the Youth Building on the other side of North Decatur Road was consecrated. Now called the Youth and Activities Building, the YAAB made it possible for the youth of Glenn and the surrounding neighborhoods to engage in community and social activities.
