First United Methodist Church of Happy

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First United Methodist Church of Happy, out in Randall County. Now, the name of the town is Happy, and I want you to hold onto that, because this church has had anything but an easy road. It started, the way a lot of things started on the Texas plains, in somebody's living room.

Early settlers gathered in their homes, holding meetings, until a Methodist fellowship took shape in Happy in 1905. From there, they moved into a schoolhouse, and then a carpenter named J. F.

White built them a small frame church. That structure went up on land donated by a man named Tom Gilliland, about four miles northeast of where Happy sits today. And right from the start, this little congregation had a generous spirit.

They shared that building with the Baptists, the Christians, and the Presbyterians. A Union Sunday School got organized, with P. J.

Neff serving as its first superintendent. One building, one Sunday school, four flavors of faithful. Now here is where the story gets interesting.

In 1906, Happy itself picked up and moved to its present location along the Santa Fe line. The town relocated. And when a town moves, well, the question becomes, what moves with it?

The answer, in 1909, was that Methodist church building. They loaded it onto wagons and hauled it to the new townsite. Think on that for a moment.

A whole church, on wagons, rolling across the Texas plains to catch up with its congregation. When it arrived, the Rev. B.

F. Sharp, a circuit rider, reorganized the church at its new location. Fifteen members.

That was the count. And Happy stayed on a circuit with four other congregations all the way until 1919. In 1920, during the pastorate of the Rev.

C. W. McNeely, they remodeled that original building.

Then, in 1930 and 1931, under the direction of the Rev. H. C.

Smith, they constructed the present sanctuary. Brand new. Something to be proud of.

And then, two years later, fire gutted the interior. All that work, all that hope, and fire came through and hollowed it out. Services moved to the basement while repairs were made.

The congregation kept going, kept gathering, kept being a church, even underground, so to speak. And when the work was done, they dedicated that restored structure on October 18, 1942. The story doesn't end there either.

In 1974, with the Rev. Carl Oglesby serving as pastor, the church underwent recent renovation. From a settler's parlor in 1905, to a donated piece of land, to a wagon ride across the plains, through fire and repair and dedication and renewal.

That little church in Happy has earned every bit of its name.

What the marker says

Meetings held in early settlers' homes led to the formation of a Methodist fellowship in Happy in 1905. Services were first held in a schoolhouse and then in a small, frame church constructed by carpenter J. F. White. The structure stood on land donated by Tom Gilliland about 4 miles northeast of the present site of Happy. The Methodists shared their building with other congregations, including the Baptists, Christians, and Presbyterians. A Union Sunday School was organized with P. J. Neff as the first superintendent. In 1906, Happy moved to its present location along the Santa Fe line. The Methodist church building was hauled to the new townsite by wagon in 1909. The Rev. B. F. Sharp, a circuit rider, reorganized the 15-member church at its new location. Happy remained on a circuit with 4 other congregations until 1919. The original church building was remodeled in 1920, during the pastorate of the Rev. C. W. McNeely. The present sanctuary was constructed in 1930-31, under the direction of the Rev. H. C. Smith. Two years later, a fire gutted the interior, forcing services to be held in the basement. After repairs, the structure was dedicated on October 18, 1942. Recent renovation occurred in 1974, when the Rev. Carl Oglesby was pastor. (1976)