Oakhurst Church Changes Name

Decatur Metro | February 27, 2013 | 12:38 pm

Pastor Timothy Lloyd sends along this press release…

In the midst of a dramatic increase in attendance from across the eastern half of Metro Atlanta, Oakhurst Church is changing its name to Eastside Church. The
church remains in its location at 630 East Lake Drive, near Family Dollar and Harmony Park.
Since the church opened in August 2011, regular attendance has nearly doubled, to about 150 per week. Some members live in Oakhurst and surrounding neighborhoods such as Kirkwood and East Lake, but many come from farther away. At a recent service, church officials displayed a Google Map that visually represented the geography of the church’s current membership. The dots on the map were distributed throughout the Eastside of Metro Atlanta.
 
The map—along with testimonials from various members—shows that location is only one of several reasons the church has grown. While Eastside Church is built on a solid United Methodist tradition, it’s geared toward the young and the forward-thinking. No one dresses up unless they feel like it. Free fair-trade coffee is served in the lobby and enjoyed in the
sanctuary. The worship band features a wide array of musicians who might play a historic hymn one moment and a Sufjan Stevens or Regina Spektor song the next. During the worship
service, an artist paints on an easel by the stage. Sermons address everything from the difficult contemporary issues of modern day slavery, economic injustice and gender inequality, to the historic Christian themes of redemption, salvation and resurrection.
The new name will change none of these things. It will simply reflect the widening area that Eastside Church has the privilege to serve.
“We want to thank the neighborhood of Oakhurst for letting us share its name for the past 18 months,” said the Rev. Timothy Lloyd, lead pastor of the church. “We love being here, and we look forward to seeing more of our Oakhurst neighbors on Sunday mornings at 11.”
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10 Responses to “Oakhurst Church Changes Name”

  1. Carl says:
    February 27, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    As one that’s been to numerous functions at City Church Eastside over the years, I find this name change very confusing. It doesn’t seem possible that the Lloyds aren’t aware of this older, better known entity. It doesn’t affect me but just strikes me as odd.

    • At Home in Decatur says:
      February 27, 2013 at 1:39 pm

      Well, Oakhurst Church is also confusing because there’s Oakhurst Baptist and Oakhurst Presbyterian too. IMHO, the-Church-formerly-known-as-Big-H has a nice ring to it but I guess the newer members wouldn’t get it.

      • Carl says:
        February 27, 2013 at 1:44 pm

        Agreed! There’s apparently a basic principle in the “emergent” church philosophy that the names should consist of one to two words plus Church. I find it particularly odd that even the denomination is hidden. Instead of Oakhurst United Methodist Church, it’s somehow, well, different.

  2. brianc says:
    February 27, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    I’ve noticed a number of churches attempting to play down or obscure their denomination affiliation, apparently in an effort to attract people who are turned off by the mainstream denominations.

  3. Dana Blankenhorn says:
    February 27, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    It’s an entrepreneurial lutheran church, much like the entrepreneurial baptist churches many neighbors attend. It’s based on the personality of the pastor, and the denomination is practically irrelevant. And when it gets big enough it’ll move to a bigger place. It just happens to be in Oakhurst right now. And the name change lets us all know that.

    • Carl says:
      February 27, 2013 at 8:27 pm

      It’s still UMC. That hasn’t changed.

  4. nelliebelle1197 says:
    February 28, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    it pretty much tells ya it doesn’t want to “put down roots” in Oakhurst or Decatur. After all, this is SOUTHWEST Decatur. East Decatur is pretty much the opposite direction. Obviously planning to move …

  5. AMB says:
    February 28, 2013 at 8:50 pm

    What church wouldn’t want to stay in an old grocery store next to a cheapie dollar store on the off-price side of Decatur?

    • smalltowngal says:
      February 28, 2013 at 9:15 pm

      if only

    • At Home in Decatur says:
      February 28, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      I love the idea of a church there, now that I’ve gotten used to it. If I ever found a church, perhaps one celebrating the teachings of the former Westchester guru, I mean principal, the venerable and wise Ms. Kuebler, I would put it right there and name it the-Church-formerly-known-as-Big-H. And I everyone would be allowed to park there, even the Oakhurst Market shoppers. It would allow strollers, dogs, and people carrying food or drink. There would be a Little Library in front. There would be two services, one for people with noisy children, dogs, and/or cellphones, and the other for folks who wanted it quiet with all cellphones turned off. Everybody’s opinions would be welcome as long as there were no personal attacks or major threadjacks. Maybe I should call it the Church of Decatur Metro……