Edom Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along to you straight. Way out in Van Zandt County, there's a congregation with roots that run so deep they disappear into the years before the Civil War. The Edom Methodist Church, the marker says, is believed to have been founded as early as 1859.

Now, that word, believed, carries a lot of weight. Before official record-keeping got around to writing things down, a community of faith was already gathering. What we know for certain is that by 1874, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South of Edom was officially organized, with the Reverend D.

L. Lake serving as its first pastor. That's your anchor point.

Everything else fans out from there. Go back even further and you find a singing school that began in 1866. A singing school.

Before the church had its full organizational footing, folks were already coming together to raise their voices. Then, by 1914, a Women's Missionary Society had been formed, another layer of community life woven into the fabric of the place. The church relocated to this very site in the 1920s, and in 1952 a new brick building replaced the earlier wood structures that had stood before it.

By 1984, a fellowship hall and a library had been added. The congregation had been renamed by then, too. In 1968, it became Edom United Methodist Church.

And by the time 1997 rolled around, they were celebrating over seventy years at the same site. The marker itself was put together with the help of Polly L. Martin, listed right there on the base as Historian.

That title, Historian, matters. Because a church like this one doesn't just happen. Somebody has to remember it.

What the marker says

Officially organized in 1874 with the Rev. D. L. Lake as first pastor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South of Edom is believed to have been founded as early as 1859, relocating to this site in the 1920s. A singing school began in 1866 and a Women's Missionary Society was formed by 1914. Church members cultivated a history of worship and service. In 1952, a new brick building replaced earlier wood structures. A fellowship hall and library were added in 1984. Celebrating over 70 years at the same site in 1997, Edom United Methodist Church (renamed in 1968) continues a tradition of community involvement. (1997) Incise on base: Polly L. Martin, Historian