Christian origins, record spending: 5 interesting facts about Father’s Day

Methodist origins

Although it's a federal holiday celebrated by people of all faiths and none, Father’s Day traces its origins to services held at two congregations of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

The first was Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South of Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908, at a service held thanks to the efforts of Grace Golden Clayton.

Clayton had successfully lobbied her church to have the dad-centered service in response to a recent local mining tragedy that killed over 300 men, many of whom were fathers.

“Clayton was distraught by the thought of all those children growing up without a father's guidance, and wanted to do something to honor the importance of fatherhood,” according to UM News.

The other, more widely known service, occurred in 1910 at Central Methodist Episcopal Church of Spokane, Washington, at the urging of Sonora Smart Dodd, who is widely credited with creating the holiday.

“Dodd listened to a Mother's Day sermon at Central Methodist Episcopal Church. Dodd's own mother had died 11 years earlier, and her father had raised their six children alone. Dodd felt moved to honor her father, and fathers everywhere, with a special day as well,” UM News reported.