First United Methodist Church of Trinity

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the First United Methodist Church of Trinity. Now, every good story needs a beginning, and this one starts in 1872, a year that was busy right from the jump. That was the year the City of Trinity was founded, and, almost in the same breath, a congregation was organized right alongside it.

Two things born together, growing up side by side in the East Texas pines. The Rev. John Woolam is the man credited with getting that church off the ground, and he also served as its first itinerant minister.

Now, itinerant is a fancy word for a preacher who keeps moving, and Woolam kept moving. His circuit at that time ran somewhere between twelve and fifteen stations. Trinity, Nevilles Prairie, Blackland, Lovelady, and more besides.

He rode that circuit and made it to Trinity one Sunday each month. One Sunday. The congregation had to make it count.

In those early days, the faithful didn't gather in a grand sanctuary with stained glass catching the morning light. They gathered in the Barnes-Lister store. Right there in a mercantile, they found their worship space, and you have to figure that suited them just fine.

Then in 1873, a one-room log schoolhouse was constructed, and for a time that building pulled double duty as a community church as well. That's the pioneer way. Use what you've got.

By the early 1880s the Methodist congregation had built its first proper sanctuary, set at the corner of what is now Robb and Madison. One room. But the fellowship kept growing, the way fellowships do when they're rooted in something real, and that one room couldn't hold them forever.

Additions were made in 1902, and then again in 1913. Still, the congregation wasn't finished. The current sanctuary was completed in 1928, and it stands as a testament to where all that momentum carried them.

More than a century of service, of Christian education, of missionary programs, of upholding the ideals and traditions of the founders. Started the same year as the city itself, and it's been here for every chapter since.

What the marker says

This congregation was organized in 1872, the same year the City of Trinity was founded. The Rev. John Woolam is credited with the establishment of the church and also served as its first itinerate minister. Woolam held services in Trinity one Sunday each month. his preaching circuit at that time consisted on 12 to 15 stations, including Trinity, Nevilles Prairie, Blackland, and Lovelady. Early worship services were held in the Barnes-Lister store in Trinity. In 1873 a one-room log schoolhouse was constructed, an it served for a tiem as a community church building as well. The Methodist congregation built the first sanctuary during the early 1880s at the corner of what is now Robb and Madision. The one-room building soon became too small for the growing fellowship, and additions were made in 1902 and in 1913. The current sanctuary was completed in 1928. Throughout its history, Trinity United Methodist Church has provided significant service and leadership to the community. With its emphasis on christian education and missionary programs, the congregation continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders.