First United Methodist Church of Marlin

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Before Falls County had a name, before the city of Marlin had a street to stand on, Methodist preachers were already riding into this country. Circuit riders, they called them, and that title tells you everything.

These weren't men with a comfortable parish waiting. They had a horse, a Bible, and a territory the size of some small nations. The first sent into this area was the Reverend John W.

DeVilbiss, in 1842. He came before the county, before the town, before most of the roads those roads would eventually follow. Others came after him, one rider handing the territory to the next, until 1874, when the Reverend Charles Brown was appointed full-time pastor for the Marlin congregation.

Full-time. That word must have felt like a luxury after decades of men just passing through. Now, here's the part that catches your attention if you're paying close attention to the calendar.

The Methodists had already selected a lot on which to build a church in the new town of Marlin back in 1851. So they picked their ground before they had a permanent pastor. That is a particular kind of faith, choosing the spot before you've got someone to stand in it every Sunday.

The property sat at Fannin and Williams streets, and the congregation kept building on that foundation, literally, adding adjoining lots in 1879 and then again in 1881. Then came 1909, and under the pastorate of the Reverend I.F. Betts, the church purchased the current site.

The building went up and was completed in 1910, and the marker notes it was still in use at the time of the telling. Now, what they built deserves a moment of your attention. The bricks were made from Brazos River Bottom Red Clay.

Not shipped in, not ordered from some catalog. Clay pulled from the bottom of the Brazos River. And the painted and stained glass windows, those were imported from Italy.

Brazos clay and Italian glass, holding up the same walls, which is about as Texas a combination as you're going to find anywhere. And then there is the bell. The church bell was at one time used on a southern plantation.

The marker doesn't dress that up, and neither will I. That bell carried one history before it carried another. The congregation itself has a long tradition of service the marker is careful to document.

The first revival on record was held in 1865. The church has twice served as host for the Texas Annual Conference of Methodist Churches. The women's groups supported mission work both at home and abroad.

And one member, Miss Maggie Rogers, served as a missionary in China, from 1904 all the way to 1943. That is not a short posting. That is a life given to a calling, an ocean away from Marlin.

Five of the church's members have entered the ministry. The marker doesn't name them, just counts them, which in its own way says something about where this congregation placed its priorities. Missionary preachers came before the county had a name.

Then a congregation formed. Then a lot was chosen. Then walls went up, built from river clay, lit by Italian glass, called to order by a bell with a complicated past.

Some stories are about one moment. This one is about what happens when people keep showing up, generation after generation, and refuse to leave.

What the marker says

Missionary preachers served Methodists in this area even before the establishment of Falls County or the city of Marlin. First sent was the Rev. John W. DeVilbiss in 1842. He wad followd by other circuit riders until the Rev. Charles Brown was appointed full-time Pastor for the Marlin congregation in 1874. In 1851 the Methodist selected a lot on which to build a church in the new town of Marlin. Adjoining lots were added to the property at Fannin and Williams streets in 1879 and 1881. In 1909, under the Pastorate of the Rev. I.F. Betts, the church purchased this site. The building, still in use today, was completed in 1910. Bricks made from Brazos River Bottom Red Clay were used, while the painted and stained glass windows were imported from Italy. The church bell was at one time used on a southern plantation. The congregation has established a long tradition of Christian service. The church held its first revival on record in 1865 and has twice been host for the Texas Annual Conference of Methodist Churches. Its women's groups have actively supported mission work at home and abroad. One member, Miss Maggie Rogers, served as a Missionary in China from 1904 to 1943. Five of the church's members having entered the Ministry.