First Methodist Church of Borger

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Methodist Church of Borger, out in Hutchinson County. Now settle in, because this one moves fast. Real fast.

A. P. Borger, known to folks as Ace, purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in January of 1926.

He was going to build himself a town. And what happened next is the kind of thing that makes you wonder if you heard it right. Within ninety days, that oil field town named for Borger had a population of more than fifty thousand people.

Ninety days. You let that number sit for a moment. Fifty thousand souls poured into a patch of Texas panhandle that had just been open land.

Now, where you have people, you have need. And the Reverend W. M.

Lane, the presiding elder of the Amarillo district of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, came out to see this place for himself. He saw it. He decided a church needed to be established.

So the Reverend Orion W. Carter held the very first worship service, and he didn't hold it in any grand sanctuary. He held it in the local grocery store.

That's right. Between the canned goods and the flour sacks, the congregation got its start. By July of 1926, Carter formally organized the church with fifteen charter members, and a man named Guy Rich erected a building, thirty-six feet by sixty feet, to give those members a proper home.

By the end of that same year, the Sunday School enrollment had reached two hundred and fifty, and women's and youth programs were already up and running. The thing was growing before it had time to catch its breath. In 1928, an addition went up to handle the swelling membership.

Then in 1930, a second church structure entirely was erected, this one on the corner of West Second and North Hedgecoke. That building served the congregation all the way until 1952, when a third sanctuary was constructed at West Second and North McGee streets. And the building wasn't finished growing yet.

An educational building was added in 1960. From a grocery store in a brand-new boomtown to a full congregation with deep roots, the First Methodist Church of Borger grew right alongside the city itself. And if Ace Borger built his town in ninety days, well, the church made sure it would still be standing long after the boom settled down.

What the marker says

A. P. "ACE" Borger purchased 240 acres of land here in January 1926 and began to establish a new town. Within ninety days, the oil field town named for Borger had a population of more than 50,000 people. The Rev. W. M. Lane, the presiding elder of the Amarillo district of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, visited Borger and decided to establish a church. The Rev. Orion W. Carter conducted the first worship service in the local grocery store. By July 1926 the church was formally organized by Carter with 15 charter members, and a 36' x 60' church building was erected by Guy Rich. By the end of the year the Sunday School had an enrollment of 250, and women's and youth programs were established. An addition was built in 1928 to accommodate the growing membership. A second church structure, located on the corner of West Second and North Hedgecoke, was erected in 1930. The edifice served the congregation until 1952, when a third sanctuary was constructed at West Second and North McGee streets. An educational building was added in 1960. The congregation has grown with the city of Borger, and maintains a strong community presence. (1997)