DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Christian Church of Weslaco. Now settle in, because this one starts with a brand new town and a pretty clever offer. When the Weslaco Townsite Company platted that new town in 1919, they didn't just sell lots for houses and storefronts.
They went ahead and offered city lots to representatives of four denominations, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Christian. Four faiths, one fresh-cut town. In the beginning, they all shared a community house, each denomination taking responsibility for one Sunday a month.
You can imagine how that went, everybody doing things just a little differently, four Sundays, four styles, one roof. But folks being folks, the members of each denomination soon formed their own separate churches. And on December 16, 1921, First Christian Church organized, with forty-four charter members standing together to make it official.
Forty-four people saying, we're building something here. Over the years that followed, the church stayed right on its original site, even as it grew in service and in facilities. Its programs reached beyond the pews, including leadership in a federation of church women that worked to establish a well-baby clinic for the community.
That detail right there is worth slowing down for. A congregation that helped bring healthy babies into the world. Today, the church still reflects the ideals of those forty-four founding members, serving its people and its community, right there where it's always been.
What the marker says
When the Weslaco Townsite Company platted the new town in 1919, it offered city lots to representatives of Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Christian denominations. They held services in a community house, with each responsible for one Sunday a month. Members of each denomination soon formed separate churches. On December 16, 1921, First Christian Church organized with 44 charter members. Over the years, it has remained on its original site but grown in service and facilties. Programs have included leadership in a federation of church women to establish a well-baby clinic. Today, the church continues to reflect the ideals of its founding in service to its members and the community. (2005)