First United Methodist Church of Houston

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First United Methodist Church of Houston. Now settle in, because this story starts before Houston was barely a smudge on a map. The year is 1837.

Two missionaries — Martin Ruter and Littleton Fowler — ride into this young, raw town and plant the seed of Methodism right there in the Texas soil, in the form of a Sunday School Society. Not a church yet. Just a seed.

But seeds have a way of growin' in Texas. Then comes April 14, 1839, and the Rev. Jesse Hord receives fourteen members by transfer of letter.

Fourteen people. That's the moment the Methodist Church takes root in Houston — counted out by name, one by one. Now here's a detail worth chewin' on.

When Houston was first platted — laid out lot by lot — the Allen Brothers set aside a piece of land specifically for a church. North side of Texas Avenue, between Travis and Milam streets. By 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church South put up its very first building right on that ground.

Land that had been waiting for them from the beginning. For decades that congregation grew with the city, and from 1883 to 1909 it carried the name Charles Shearn Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South. But Houston kept spreading, and the congregation kept prospering, and eventually they looked around and said — this corner ain't big enough anymore.

In 1907, the Texas Avenue property was sold. And in 1910, First Methodist Episcopal Church South opened its doors at the corner of Main and Clay streets. A new corner for a new century.

The name would change again — to First Methodist Church in 1939, and then to First United Methodist Church in 1968. Names shift with the times, but the mission just kept deepenin'. By 1992, the congregation approved a plan for a second campus.

The Westchase Congregation began worship in 1993 and opened a worship center in 1999. And the reach of this church — well, it's hard to overstate. Wesley Community Center.

Bluebird Circle. Quillian Memorial Center. Clarewood House.

Wesley Academy. Christian Alliance. Non-profit organizations, new churches, local and national and worldwide ministries.

Together with the Texas Conference, the church helped establish the Methodist Hospital. And since 1955, they've been reaching even further — through televised worship services beaming the message out beyond any four walls. Fourteen members in 1839.

One congregation that became a campus and then another, a network of institutions, a hospital, a television signal. That's not just a church growin'. That's a city and a congregation growin' up together, side by side, for nearly two centuries.

What the marker says

The foundation of Methodism in Houston began in 1837, when missionaries Martin Ruter and Littleton Fowler established a Sunday School Society. On April 14, 1839, the Rev. Jesse Hord received 14 members by transfer of letter, establishing the Methodist Church. In 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church South opened its first building on the north side of Texas Avenue, between Travis and Milam streets, on land the Allen Brothers had reserved for a church when Houston was platted. From 1883 to 1909, the church was known as Charles Shearn Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South. As Houston grew, the congregation prospered, and plans were developed to build a new church. In 1907, the Texas Avenue property was sold, and First Methodist Episcopal Church South opened its doors in 1910 at the corner of Main and Clay streets. In 1939, the name changed to First Methodist Church and in 1968 to First United Methodist Church. In 1992, the congregation approved a plan to establish a second campus. The Westchase Congregation began worship in 1993 and opened a worship center in 1999. This congregation’s commitment to local, national and worldwide programs and ministries led it to help start new churches and establish non-profit groups, including Wesley Community Center, Bluebird Circle, Quillian Memorial Center, Clarewood House, Wesley Academy and Christian Alliance. Together with the Texas Conference, the church helped to establish the Methodist Hospital. The church has furthered its outreach through televised worship services since 1955.