First United Methodist Church of Aransas Pass

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to honor every word. This is Duane, and we're talking about the First United Methodist Church of Aransas Pass, San Patricio County. Now settle in, because this one starts long before there was a church, or even much of a town.

It starts with a dream. Somebody, back in the middle of the nineteenth century, looked out at this stretch of Texas coast and thought: port. Shipping center.

The gateway to somewhere big. By 1890, that dream had taken the shape of blueprints and ambition. Plans were well underway to dig a ship channel and develop what they were calling Aransas Harbor City.

The place was humming with possibility. And where you've got possibility, you've got people. And where you've got people, well, you're going to need a church.

On February 22, 1891, seven men and women gathered in a structure known as the Dwyer and Drummond Pavilion. That was the place folks in Aransas Harbor used for meetings and events. Seven people.

That's all it takes, sometimes. Under the leadership of the Reverend J.W. Groves, they organized as the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Later that same year, the Reverend J.W. Sims arrived to serve as pastor. Now, these early ministers had quite the circuit to ride.

Many of them lived over in nearby Rockport, serving a congregation there and making the trip to Aransas Pass twice a month for Sunday services. Not exactly a short commute, but they made it work. And the Rockport and Aransas Pass Methodists, they didn't just share a pastor.

They met for picnics. Fellowship. The kind of community that shows up before the buildings do.

In late 1892, First Methodist Church constructed its first sanctuary on what is now South McCampbell Street, and they shared that building with the local Christian church, the second congregation to organize in the community. Sharing a pastor, sharing a sanctuary. These folks were building something together.

Over the years, the pastors serving these two congregations added an Ingleside charge to their responsibilities. Then, in 1940, during a boom in the city's economy, the Aransas Pass church established a full-time pastorate. Its own pastor, at last, rooted right there.

The congregation kept growing. They built new facilities. And they survived storms.

More than one. But the one that tested them most, the marker names it plainly: Hurricane Celia, 1970. The devastation was real.

And what did First Methodist do? They opened up. For four months after Celia, the church's Education Wing served as the Aransas Emergency Hospital.

The Fellowship Hall became a community communications center. When the town needed a place to heal and a place to talk, the church said: here we are. That's not a footnote.

That is the whole story in miniature. Through outreach and service, fellowship, worship, education, and music, this congregation has kept right on supporting and sustaining the people of Aransas Pass. Seven people in a pavilion on February 22, 1891.

That's where it started. What they built, it's still standing.

What the marker says

Efforts to create a regional shipping center and port in this vicinity began in the middle 19th century. By 1890, plans were well underway to dig a ship channel and develop Aransas Harbor City. Residents of Aransas Harbor (now Aransas Pass) used a structure known as the Dwyer and Drummond Pavilion for meetings and events. On February 22, 1891, seven men and women met there and organized as the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, under the leadership of the Rev. J.W. Groves. The Rev. J.W. Sims arrived later that year to serve as pastor. Many of the church's early ministers lived in nearby Rockport, serving a congregation there and traveling to Aransas Pass twice monthly for Sunday services. First Methodist Church constructed its first sanctuary in late 1892 on what is now South McCampbell Street and shared it with the local Christian church, the second congregation to organize in the community. Rockport and Aransas Pass Methodists not only shared a pastor in the early years, but also met frequently for picnics and fellowship. Pastors serving the two congregations added an Ingleside charge, but in 1940 the Aransas Pass church established a full-time pastorate during a boom in the city's economy. Over the years, members of First Methodist built new facilities and survived several major storms. Following the devastation of Hurricane Celia in 1970, the church's Education Wing served as the Aransas Emergency Hospital for four months and the Fellowship Hall became a community communications center. Through outreach and service programs, as well as fellowship, worship, education and music, the congregation continues to support and sustain residents of Aransas Pass. (2005)