DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Emory United Methodist Church in Rains County. Now settle in, because this story's got more than a century and a half of Texas stubborn built right into it. Dating all the way back to 1867, this congregation first drew breath in Springville, over in Wood County.
A small gathering of faithful folks, meeting not in a church of their own — not yet — but in the old Masonic hall right on the town square, the same building that doubled as the first school in that little settlement. They made do, the way Texans do. Then came 1870, and Rains County was formed.
The City of Springville changed its name to Emory, in honor of the county's founder, Emory Rains. And just like that, the church had a new namesake to grow into. By 1889, the congregation was ready to plant roots in the ground.
Reverend J.W. Beckham led them to build a single-room church on the northeast corner of what would become the intersection of Wood and North Streets. A real church.
Their church. They'd barely had time to get comfortable in it when 1894 rolled around and a tornado — because of course — came through and destroyed the church and every single thing inside it. The pews, the furnishings, a brand-new organ.
Gone. Every last bit of it. Every bit, that is, except one.
The bell. Somehow that bell survived, and those church folks made sure it would never be left behind again. To this day, it hangs in the belfry of the present-day church, still in use.
Think about that next time you hear it ring. A new church went up on that same site the very next year. It was eventually moved to the present site, and the congregation kept on keeping on, as congregations do.
Then in 1944, a storm damaged the roof, and the members looked at each other and said — enough patching. They raised money for a brand-new brick structure, and on September 16, 1945, they dedicated it debt-free. Debt.
Free. That's not just a construction detail, that's a statement of character. Inside those walls, beautiful stained glass windows were purchased from a builder in Hunt County, each one inscribed to honor the founders and sustainers of the church and church school.
The names on those windows tell you everything about who built this place in spirit: Uncle Tom and Aunt Fannie Weatherly, called spiritual parents to the children of the church. Captain Tom Cain. And the families — Ballew, Berzette, Edwards, Henslee, Jenkis, Rodes, and Woosley.
The Gethsemane window was dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Shaw.
Names etched in glass so the light shines right through them, every Sunday, onto the people who carry the story forward. One hundred and fifty years of a congregation that lost a church to a tornado, lost their organ, saved one bell, built again, and when a storm hit the roof, decided to build something that would last. That bell said it all along.
What the marker says
Dating back to 1867 originally in Springville in Wood County, Emory United Methodist Church has served its community for 150 years. The church’s namesake was established when in 1870, Rains County was formed and the City of Springville changed its name to Emory in honor of the county founder Emory Rains. The congregation has been devoted to building and maintaining a physical place of worship throughout the years. During the first several years of existence, the congregation met in the old Masonic hall, located on the town square, which also served as the first school in Emory, then called Springville. In 1889, Rev. J.W. Beckham led the congregation to build a single-room church which was located on the northeast corner of the intersection of present-day Wood and North Streets in Emory. In 1894, a tornado destroyed the church and all its contents, including a new organ. The only item saved from the structure was the bell, which is still in use and hangs in the present-day church belfry. A new church was built on the same site the following year but several years later was moved to the present site. After a storm damaged the church’s roof in 1944, church members decided to raise money to build a new brick structure which was successfully completed and dedicated debt-free on September 16, 1945. In honor of some of the founders and sustainers of the church and church school, beautiful stained glass windows were purchased from a builder in Hunt County. The windows were inscribed with the names of Uncle Tom and Aunt Fannie Weatherly, spiritual parents to the children of the church; Captain Tom Cain, and the Ballew, Berzette, Edwards, Henslee, Jenkis, Rodes and Woosley families. The Gethsemane window was dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Shaw. Due to the congregation’s hard work and dedication, Emory UMC continues to provide care and hope for the community. (2017)