First United Methodist Church of Crawford

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First United Methodist Church of Crawford. Pull up a chair, because this one goes back further than most folks around here might guess. Way back in the 1840s, before Crawford was even Crawford in any official sense, area families were gatherin' in each other's homes.

No steeple, no pews, no organ. Just neighbors, a prayer, and a hymn sung somewhere between the kitchen and the front room. That's where this story begins.

In 1874, the Crawford School was established, and a one-room building went up to serve it. A few years on, around 1878, the First Methodist Church organized itself and started meeting right there in that schoolhouse. Borrowed space, but the faith was their own.

Then comes Reverend Sam Franks. In 1880, he was ministering to the Crawford area, and that November, Bishop George Pierce appointed Rev. Franks to the Bosqueville Circuit for the second year.

That appointment is the moment the marker points to: with it, the Methodist Episcopal Church, south of Crawford, was officially organized. Now, just when things were getting settled, 1881 brought the railroad. And the railroad, as it so often did in Texas, rearranged everything.

The city of Crawford moved southwest. The school building moved. The church moved right along with it.

They worshipped there, same congregation, different ground, until the school burned. A tabernacle stepped in after that, holding sermons and baptisms until something more permanent could be arranged. In 1882, a two-story building went up on a different site, shared by the Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, and several other groups.

Two years later, the congregation built their first true church home, with members of the community lending a hand. That building was eventually razed. A new sanctuary rose in its place, and the campus was remodeled and renovated as membership grew.

Even the name shifted more than once. Mergers by the Methodist General Conference changed what the church was called through the years, until 1968, when the First United Methodist Church of Crawford was documented by the conference. That's the name that stuck.

More than a century of events, service projects, youth activities, and outreach programs. The name changed. The campus changed.

The congregation stayed. That, right there, is the whole story in a sentence, but the marker knows, and now you know, just how many moves and fires and fresh starts it took to get there.

What the marker says

As early as the 1840s, area families met in their homes for prayer and hymns. In 1874, the Crawford School was established, and a one-room building was constructed. Around 1878, the First Methodist Church was organized and met in the schoolhouse. In 1880, Reverend Sam Franks ministered to the Crawford area. In November 1880, Bishop George Pierce appointed Rev. Franks to the Bosqueville Circuit for the second year. With this appointment, the Methodist Episcopal Church, south of Crawford was officially organized. In 1881, when the railroad came to the area, the city of Crawford moved southwest. Subsequently, the school building and church moved along with the town. The church continued to worship there until the school burned. A tabernacle then served as their home for sermons and baptisms. In 1882, a two-story building was constructed on a different site and was shared by several groups, including the Methodist Church and Masonic Lodge. Two years later, the church built their first church home, assisted by members of the community. The building was eventually razed and the congregation constructed a new sanctuary, remodeling and renovating the campus as membership grew. Mergers by the Methodist General Conference changed the name of the church several times. In 1968, the First United Methodist Church of Crawford was documented by the conference. Through events, service projects, youth activities and outreach programs, the First United Methodist Church has served the Crawford area for more than a century. The church name and campus have changed over the years but the congregation's commitment to service and the community remains. (2017)