First United Methodist Church of Florence

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of the First United Methodist Church of Florence. Now settle in, because this one goes back a good ways. Back to 1856, when Florence, Texas, was about as modest as a settlement could get.

Log cabins, a store or two, and the kind of quiet that makes you feel both at peace and a little anxious at the same time. But even then, the people of Florence were not without faith. They had a stone building, three hundred feet east-southeast of where you're standing now, and that building served as a church and a meeting place.

The land it sat on had been donated back in 1845 by a man named John C. Caskey. Before that, settlers had been worshiping wherever they could find room, homes, other meeting places, wherever the spirit could be made to feel welcome.

The Methodist congregation in Florence used that stone building, but they shared it, shared it with other folks, and shared their pastor too. See, early Methodist ministers in Texas rode circuits. They didn't belong to just one town.

They belonged to the road, moving between communities, carrying the word from one dusty stop to the next. The Florence mission was part of the Waco district, and it sat at the head of a circuit. That's no small thing.

The head of the line. Then in 1858, Reverend John Carpenter was officially appointed as the church's first pastor. Florence finally had a man of its own.

The congregation kept investing in that stone building over the years, buying additional interest until they held full ownership in 1910. They remodeled it, used it, made it theirs. And then, in 1924, they sold it, to be used as a Primitive Baptist church.

Now that same year, 1924, the Methodist congregation didn't skip a beat. They built a brand new church right here at this very site. Used it for decades.

Then in 1968, they went and erected a brick church, and that same year the congregation's name changed to the First United Methodist Church of Florence. Along the way, this church did what good community institutions do. It organized.

The Home Mission Society got established in 1890, and it kept evolving until it became the Women's Society of Christian Service. In 1957, the Methodist Men came up with something you don't hear every day, a livestock program, raising funds through livestock to build a new parsonage. And the young people had a place too.

The first Junior League was established in 1900, and youth groups have stayed an important part of the church's mission ever since. In 1960, the Central Texas Conference of the Methodist Church voted this congregation church of the year. Church of the year.

Out of a Florence that started with log cabins and a store or two. That stone building on donated land, a shared pastor on horseback, and the faith of people who showed up anyway. Not bad for a small settlement.

What the marker says

In 1856, Florence was a small settlement of log cabins and a store or two. It also had a stone building (300 ft. ESE), used as a church and meeting place, on land donated in 1845 by John C. Caskey. Before that time, settlers worshiped in homes and other meeting places. The Methodist congregation in Florence shared the stone building, just as it shared its pastor. Early Methodist ministers in Texas rode circuits, serving several communities. The Florence mission, part of the Waco district, was at the head of a circuit. In 1858, Rev. John Carpenter was officially appointed to the church as its first pastor. The congregation bought additional interest in the building, with full ownership in 1910. Members remodeled it and used it until 1924, when they sold it for use as a Primitive Baptist church. The Methodist congregation built a new church at this site in 1924 and used it until erecting a brick church in 1968. Over the years, the Florence Methodist church has served the community through its organizations. The Home Mission Society, established in 1890, later became the Women's Society of Christian Service. The Methodist Men, in 1957, created a livestock program to raise funds for a new parsonage. Youth groups have also been an important part of the church's mission, with the first Junior League established in 1900. The congregation was voted church of the year in 1960 by the Central Texas Conference of the Methodist Church. Its name changed in 1968 to the First United Methodist Church of Florence, and it continues to be a vital part of its community. (2002)