Dunwoody Methodist pastor retires, leaves as Dunwoody legend

Dr, B. Wiley Stephens, for 24 years the senior pastor of Dunwoody United Methodist Church, announced from the pulpit Sunday that he will retire in June.

Stephens more than doubled the churchs membership, oversaw the construction of an 800-seat sanctuary and a large Fellowship Hall and led the church to become what most civic activists consider the most involved in Dunwoody.

As Dunwoody began its three-year drive to cityhood, DUMC was always available to the various volunteer groups and task forces. When the city began, the city council met there for months while searching for a home. The citys first mayor, Ken Wright, is a member of the church.

When he came here from Dalton, Stephens was no stranger to DeKalb County. Now celebrating 50 years in the ministry, he noted that 42 of those years were spent in DeKalb pulpits. In fact, Stephens daughter Kelly is named after Kellys Chapel Methodist Church in south DeKalb.

But Stephens greatest pride is not bricks and mortar, but the involvement of church members in mission work. The numbers are astonishing.

Weve built 23 Habitat Homes, he began as he ticked off a list of mission projects.

He listed Family Promise, the Community Action Council, Package of Hope, an orphanage in Zambia, a mission couple in Ghana and a sanctuary in Estonia.

Crier readers also will recognize several huge volunteer efforts that draw more than 1000 people the Great Day of Service and the Stop Hunger effort to package hundreds of thousands of meals for the poor over the years.

Those efforts are possible because of DUMCs growth. When Stephens and his wife, Linda, arrived, the church had 2200 members (defined as members over 12 years old). It now has 4600 members. It has a Counseling Center, it draws as many as a thousand people to AA meetings for alcohol and substance abuse. Its parking lot always seems full.

DUMC is also distinguished for its music ministry.

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Dunwoody Methodist pastor retires, leaves as Dunwoody legend