First Methodist Church of Alvin

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Methodist Church of Alvin, right there in Brazoria County. Now every church has to start somewhere, and this one started the way a lot of good things started in old Texas: on horseback. A circuit-riding minister by the name of Reverend Peter Nicholson rode into Alvin in 1881 and founded the First Methodist Episcopal Church.

Circuit riders didn't wait for a building to go up before they got to work. Early on, the congregation gathered in members' homes and, when they needed a bit more room, in the local railroad station. Picture that.

Sunday worship, and somewhere nearby a train pulling in. They made do like that until 1886, when the first proper church building went up at the corner of Johnson and Sidnor streets. The land itself was a gift, town lots deeded over by Jesse and Celia Hobbs.

That first building served the congregation for decades, but brick was coming. In 1926 a new brick church replaced the original structure, and that same year the women of the church donated a pipe organ. Same year.

They weren't ones to let a milestone pass quietly. By 1955 the membership had grown enough that the congregation looked around and decided they needed something bigger still. So they built again.

A new brick church was completed in 1961, right on this site, and they did not go modest about it. Large sanctuary, bell tower, tall church steeple, and a white columned entry greeting you at the door. And it hasn't just been a place to sit on Sundays.

Scouting. Preschool classes. Youth activities and scholarships.

Out-of-town excursions for senior citizens. Several innovative social ministry programs. This church has had its hands in the life of this community in just about every direction you can name.

From a circuit rider showing up on horseback in 1881 to a congregation still serving Alvin and the surrounding area well past the hundred-year mark. Reverend Nicholson planted something that took deep root. That's a story worth telling at any campfire.

What the marker says

A Methodist circuit-riding minister, the Reverend Peter Nicholson, founded the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Alvin in 1881. Early worship services were held in the homes of its members and in the local railroad station. The first church building was constructed in 1886 at the intersection of Johnson and Sidnor streets on town lots deeded by Jesse and Celia Hobbs. A brick church building replaced the original structure in 1926. The women of the church donated a pipe organ to the church the same year. By 1955 it was determined that a larger facility was needed to serve the growing membership. A new brick church was completed in 1961 on this site, featuring a large sanctuary, bell tower, tall church steeple and a white columned entry. The church has sponsored many community activities including scouting, preschool classes, youth activities and scholarships, out-of-town excursions for senior citizens, and several innovative social ministry programs. The First Methodist Church of Alvin continues to serve its membership and the vicinity as it has for more than 100 years. (1996)