First United Methodist Church of Kountze

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First United Methodist Church of Kountze. Now settle in, because this story starts the way a lot of good Texas stories start, with a railroad and a town that didn't quite exist yet. Back in the 1880s, the Texas and New Orleans Railroad came cutting through what would become Kountze, and the town grew up right behind it.

Before long, Hardin County needed to make a decision about where to seat its county government. The town of Hardin had been holding that honor, but in 1886, the county seat was moved to Kountze. A new town, a new center of things, and with that comes a question every fledgling community eventually has to answer: where are folks going to worship?

Well, a group of worshipers wasn't about to wait around for someone else to figure that out. Led by the Reverend James S. Murphy, they joined together and organized a Methodist congregation.

In 1887 they acquired land from a man named P. S. Watts, and they set their sights on something a little bigger than just a Methodist meetinghouse.

They planned a sanctuary that all denominations could use. That's a certain kind of generosity you don't take for granted. The cornerstone was laid on May 11, 1888, and before long the first church building in Kountze was standing.

Sundays would roll around, and Methodists and other denominations traded off, worshiping on alternate weeks under that same roof. Reverend Murphy kept riding his circuit, serving the Methodists through the rest of that year, until December of 1888, when the Reverend V. A.

Godbey stepped in to carry the work forward. The congregation kept growing. Sunday School programs took root.

Missionary programs followed. Then in 1940 came a milestone that congregations work toward and pray toward: the Methodist Church in Kountze became a full charge in the denomination, with its very own full-time pastor. And by 1951, the growing congregation had a new sanctuary to call home.

From a small band of worshipers following a circuit-riding preacher through the piney woods of Hardin County, to a full-standing church with more than a century woven into the life of Kountze. That, friends, is how you build something that lasts.

What the marker says

The town of Kountze developed in the 1880s, after the Texas and New Orleans Railroad was built through this area. The county seat, which had previously been located at the town of Hardin, was moved to Kountze in 1886. Soon after the town's creation, a group of worshipers led by the Rev. James S. Murphy joined together to organize a Methodist congregation. Land was acquired in 1887 from P. S. Watts, and plans were made to erect a sanctuary to be used by all denominations. The cornerstone was laid on May 11, 1888, and the first church building in Kountze soon was completed. Worship services were held on alternate Sundays by Methodists and other denominations. Murphy continued to serve as circuit-riding minister to the Methodists until December 1888, when he was succeeded by the Rev. V. A. Godbey. The Methodist Church in Kountze continued to grow over the years. Sunday School and missionary programs were organized, and in 1940 the congregation became a full charge in the denomination, with its own full-time pastor. A new sanctuary was built in 1951 to serve the growing congregation. The church has been a part of Kountze history for over a century.