Blossom Hill United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Blossom Hill United Methodist Church, out in Rusk County. Pull up a chair, because this one's got roots that go way down deep. Back in 1879, a man named L.H.

Patterson and his wife made a decision. They donated the first church property, and just like that, a congregation took shape in the Chapman community. The church came into the world as Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal Church, and it holds the distinction of being the first church established in that community.

Now, the community itself took its name from the Henry Chapman family. Chapman was one of the earliest settlers in the area, and he had received a grant of six hundred and forty acres as a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Six hundred and forty acres.

That's the kind of foundation a community gets built on. The original wood frame church building was erected west of the original structure, and the congregation kept growing, kept gathering. Around 1927, the name changed to Blossom Hill United Methodist Church, the name it carries to this day.

Then in 1959, a brick church structure replaced the second church. Stone and mortar where wood once stood. Now, here's the part of this story I want you to sit with for a moment.

Right there in Chapman, there was another congregation. Willow Springs Presbyterian Church. And instead of those two churches eyeing each other from across the road the way you might expect, they did something worth remarking on.

For many years, the Methodist Church held services on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, while the Presbyterian Church held services on the first and third Sundays. The whole community had a church home every single Sunday of the year, and it belonged to both of them. For approximately one hundred years, the two churches held a joint revival each July.

One hundred years of July revivals, neighbors singing the same songs under the same Texas sky. And then there's Easter morning. In 1929, the two churches began a community sunrise Easter service together.

The first service was organized by Mrs. L.A. Carrington, Mrs.

Gennie Snelgrove, and members of both churches. Think about that. Sunrise.

The very first light of Easter Sunday. That tradition, born in 1929, carried on. In 2006, the Presbyterian Church closed.

The partner of a hundred years of Julys and all those Sunday mornings was gone. But Blossom Hill United Methodist Church, the congregation that started with a donated piece of land back in 1879, did not let the sunrise service end. It carries on.

And every Easter morning when the light comes up over Rusk County, that first service organized by Mrs. Carrington and Mrs. Snelgrove is still, in its way, being held.

What the marker says

Blossom Hill United Methodist Church was established in 1879, when Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Patterson donated the first church property. The church was first known as Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal Church and was the first church established in the Chapman community. Chapman was named for the Henry Chapman family. Chapman was one of the earliest settlers in the area, and had received a grant of 640 acres as a veteran of the Texas Revolution. The original wood frame church building was erected west of the original structure. The name of the church was changed to Blossom Hill United Methodist Church circa 1927. A brick church structure replaced the second church in 1959. Throughout the years, the Methodist Church built a strong relationship with the Willow Springs Presbyterian Church, also located in Chapman. For many years church services were held at the Methodist Church on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, while services were held at the Presbyterian Church on the first and third Sundays. For approximately 100 years the two churches held a joint revival each July. The churches began a community sunrise Easter service in 1929. The first service was organized by Mrs. L. A. Carrington, Mrs. Gennie Snelgrove and members of both churches. Although the Presbyterian Church closed in 2006, Blossom Hill United Methodist Church carries on the sunrise service tradition and continues to serve members of the surrounding community. (2009)