Avery Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Red River County, there's a church with a story that starts before the town even knew what to call itself. The Douglas Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized in 1896.

Now right away you've got something worth noting. A one-room frame church, steeple and belfry and all, goes up and becomes the kind of place that belongs to everybody. Other denominations come on in.

And for a stretch of years, it doubles as a school, serving that purpose right up until 1901. One building, doing the work of several. That's a certain kind of Texas practicality right there.

Then comes 1902, and the town of Douglas gets itself renamed Avery. The church rolls with it. The Avery Methodist Church, they call it now, and it carries on as a mission church for a good long while.

But it keeps building itself up, piece by piece. A Sunday School gets organized. A youth group.

A Women's Missionary Society. Roots going deeper, branches spreading wider. And then in 1950, the church achieves full-station status.

That's the marker's way of saying it earned its full standing, on its own terms, after years of patient work. Several building facilities were added over the years, the marker notes, and as of 1996, this church had been serving that community for over a hundred years. Started before the town had its name.

Still standing after the calendar turned a full century. Some things just hold.

What the marker says

The Douglas Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized in 1896. A one-room frame church building with a steeple and belfry was constructed, and shared with other denominations. It was also used as a school until 1901. The town of Douglas was renamed Avery in 1902. The Avery Methodist Church was a mission church for many years. A Sunday School, youth group, and Women's Missionary Society were organized. The church achieved full-station status in 1950. Several building facilities were added over the years. This active church has served the community for over 100 years. (1996)