First Presbyterian Church of Alice

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Presbyterian Church of Alice, out in Jim Wells County. Now, November 6, 1898, is a date worth holding onto. The town of Alice was only twenty-one years old at that point.

Twenty-one years young, and already folks were gatherin' to do something lasting. Fifteen people showed up that day, meeting with an evangelist by the name of the Rev. A.H.P.

McCurdy, of the Western Presbytery of Texas, to organize a mission church. Fifteen souls. You want their names?

They deserve to be named. Mrs. Anna Adams.

Mr. M.D. Ayers, who went by Frank.

Mrs. Alice Mary Ayers. Miss Sadie P.

Ayers. Mrs. Lillie Beckham.

Mr. Walter Caldwell. Miss Lillie Clark.

Miss Annie Doughty. Mrs. Mollie Gibson.

Mr. W.A. Hinnant.

Mrs. M.J. Jones.

Miss Carrie E. Mosser. Mrs.

Annie Schoebaum. Mrs. Sarah R.

Staples. And Miss Ann Staples. Those are your charter members, every one.

And Rev. McCurdy himself served as the church's first pastor. Now here is where the story gets interesting, because what happened next wasn't built on grand donations or wealthy patrons.

In January of 1903, the Presbyterian Ladies' Aid Society formed with fourteen members. Fourteen people with a purpose. And by December of that same year, they had raised enough money to purchase land on the very site where this marker stands.

The price? One hundred and thirty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents. How'd they raise it?

Ice cream socials. Oyster fries. Bazaars.

You go ahead and smile, but that money was real, and that land was real, and what grew from it was real. In July of 1908, a white frame church building was completed on that land. Then in 1912, a two-story manse was erected right next door.

The congregation kept building, in more ways than one. The mission became a self-supporting church in 1937. A new brick building went up in 1938.

An educational building was added in 1948. And in 1979, the structure was remodeled to meet the congregation's growin' needs. By 1998, the First Presbyterian Church of Alice counted 181 members.

A hundred years on from that first meeting of fifteen, and the church was still doing exactly what its founders set out to do: community service and outreach, mission programs, worship. The names change. The building changes.

The ice cream socials may be fewer. But that thread running back to November 6, 1898, it hasn't broken yet.

What the marker says

On November 6, 1898, twenty-one ears after the founding of Alice, fifteen people met with an evangelist, the Rev. A.H.P. McCurdy of the Western Presbytery of Texas, to organize a mission church. The fifteen charter members were Mrs. Anna Adams, Mr. M.D. (Frank) Ayers, Mrs. Alice Mary Ayers, Miss Sadie P. Ayers, Mrs. Lillie Beckham, Mr. Walter Caldwell, Miss Lillie Clark, Miss Annie Doughty, Mrs. Mollie Gibson, Mr. W.A. Hinnant, Mrs. M.J. Jones, Miss Carrie E. Mosser, Mrs. Annie Schoebaum, Mrs. Sarah R. Staples, and Miss Ann Staples. The Rev. Mr. McCurdy served as first pastor. In January 1903, the Presbyterian Ladies' Aid Society was formed with fourteen member. By December 1903 the society had raised enough money, through such enterprises as ice cream socials, oyster fries, and bazaars, to purchase land on this site for a price of $137.75. In July 1908 a white frame church building was completed, and in 1912 a two-story manse was erected next door. The mission became a self-supporting church in 1937. A new brick building was erected in 1938, and an educational building was added in 1948. The structure was remodeled in 1979 to fit the congregation's growing needs. In 1998, the First Presbyterian Church of Alice had 181 members. Continuing in the traditions of its founders, the congregation remains involved in community service and outreach, mission programs, and worship activities. (1998)