On September 16, 1898, the Benson United Methodist Church was organized with six charter members:  Mrs. Mary F. Ryals, Mrs. Cassandra Johnson, Mrs. Emma N. Jones, Mrs. Lula E. Benson, James W. Benson and Mrs. Fereby Holmes.

    On December 5, 1898, the Benson church was placed on the Dunn charge of Rev. D. B. Parker.

    Worship services were held in the small frame school building.  Sunday School was held in an upstairs room of the Boykin Hotel, later known as the Blue Heaven.  Now occupying this site is the building housing the Benton Printing Company.

    A few months after the organization of the church, James W. Benson, a druggist who established the Benson Drug Company, donated the corner lot on Church Street on which the present church stands.  A frame building was begun, and as soon as the walls and top were in place Sunday School and worship services were held in the building.

    The membership and the Sunday school steadily increased over the next 17 years and the need for more spacious quarters was felt.  The magnificent brick building was erected at the cost of $50,000.  So loyal and interested were the many members that the building debt was soon liquidated.  The last payment on the building was made following a board meeting held late one afternoon when there was a balance due of slightly more than $4,000.  Present at the meeting were laymen  C. T. Johnson, W.R. Denning, Charles Johnson, and J.E. Wilson who, upon the suggestion of one of the four, wrote out personal checks for the more that $1,000 each to wipe out the remaining debt.    The current 45 foot by 106 foot Fellowship Hall was built in 1989-1990 and was consecrated on September 15, 1990.

   Today the church continues to thrive with an active youth ministry, music ministry, small group involvement, men’s weekly prayer breakfast, United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women.  Benson United Methodist and Benson Baptist Church jointly sponsor a mission team each year through Sal De Paul to Guatemala to aid the Mayan people with spiritual, education and dentistry needs.  Many of the members are involved with the Walk to Emmaus, a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders while  seriously considering the model of Christ's servanthood and encouraging Christ's disciples to act in ways appropriate to being "a servant of all."  Benson United Methodist Church tries to embody it’s mission statement of “Serving as a beacon for Jesus Christ by sharing His Love.”  We fully support the United Methodist Church’s position of “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.”