Genoa United Methodist Church

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Genoa United Methodist Church, and it is one worth sittin' with for a spell. Now, picture this: the year is 1894, and the township of Genoa is the kind of place where community means everything. Fourteen people gather.

Just fourteen. But under the leadership of the Reverend J. R.

Murray, those fourteen souls set something in motion. They organize the community's first Methodist congregation, right there in Genoa. Then comes February 10, 1895, and things get official.

Thirty-three people step forward and become charter members of the Genoa Methodist Episcopal Church South. Thirty-three names on a founding roll. That is not a crowd, that is a commitment.

Now, a congregation needs a roof, and here is where the story gets a little generous. In 1898, a local sawmill owner donates two large pine trees to the congregation. Two trees.

The lumber from those very trees is used to build the church's first structure. Think about that the next time you walk into a building and wonder where it came from. The congregation flourished, as the marker says plain and simple.

And flourishing means growin', so in 1937 a second structure goes up. Then in 1955, property is acquired across the street, on the northeast corner of Palmsprings and Freecroft Drives. The congregation builds a new, larger facility there, and it is completed two years later.

Then comes the mid-1960s, and the township of Genoa is annexed by the city of Houston. A lot of small communities lose themselves in a moment like that. But Genoa Methodist Church decides it is going to hold the neighborhood together.

Picnics, Easter egg hunts, social events for area residents. The church becomes a kind of anchor when the map around it is changin'. And then, beginning in 1965, the Methodist Men's Club does something that is purely and wonderfully Texas.

They organize a rodeo. They construct a lighted arena adjacent to the church. A lighted arena.

Right next to the sanctuary. That is a particular kind of confidence, and I respect it deeply. That arena ran until the 1980s, when it was dismantled, and a church vegetable garden took its place.

From rodeo to harvest. The land kept working. Meanwhile, the church begins sponsoring Boy Scout Troop 171 during the 1970s and Troop 854 during the 1980s.

And the young people of the congregation belong to UMARMY, a national Methodist organization that enables youth to travel to different cities to help those who are less fortunate. These kids are out in the world doing something. And the church keeps reaching.

It awards scholarships. It supports an area food pantry and a thrift store through the interdenominational Southeast Area Ministries organization. It hosts civic clubs and town meetings within its own walls.

Started with fourteen people and a borrowed meeting place. Built a church from two pine trees. Grew, moved, stayed rooted, built an arena, grew a garden, sent young people across the country to do good.

That is not just a congregation. That is a community refusing to let go of itself.

What the marker says

GENOA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN 1894, FOURTEEN PEOPLE MET IN THE TOWNSHIP OF GENOA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE REV. J. R. MURRAY TO ORGANIZE THE COMMUNITY’S FIRST METHODIST CONGREGATION. ON FEBRUARY 10, 1895, THIRTY-THREE PEOPLE BECAME CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE GENOA METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH. A LOCAL SAWMILL OWNER DONATED TWO LARGE PINE TREES TO THE CONGREGATION IN 1898, AND THE RESULTING LUMBER WAS USED TO BUILD THE CHURCH’S FIRST STRUCTURE. THE CONGREGATION FLOURISHED, AND A SECOND STRUCTURE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1937. PROPERTY WAS ACQUIRED ACROSS THE STREET IN 1955 ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF PALMSPRINGS AND FREECROFT DRIVES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW, LARGER FACILITY THAT WAS COMPLETED TWO YEARS LATER. WHEN THE TOWNSHIP OF GENOA WAS ANNEXED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON DURING THE MID-1960s, GENOA METHODIST CHURCH HELPED TO RETAIN A SENSE OF COMMUNITY BY SPONSORING AND HOSTING SOCIAL EVENTS SUCH AS PICNICS AND EASTER EGG HUNTS FOR AREA RESIDENTS. BEGINNING IN 1965, THE METHODIST MEN’S CLUB ORGANIZED “RODEO” AND CONSTRUCTED A LIGHTED ARENA ADJACENT TO THE CHURCH. WHEN THE ARENA WAS DISMANTLED IN THE 1980s, A CHURCH VEGETABLE GARDEN TOOK ITS PLACE. THE CHURCH BEGAN SPONSORING BOY SCOUT TROOP 171 DURING THE 1970s AND TROOP 854 DURING THE 1980s. THE YOUTH OF THE CHURCH BELONG TO UMARMY, A NATIONAL METHODIST ORGANIZATION WHICH ENABLES YOUTH TO TRAVEL TO DIFFERENT CITIES TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE. GENOA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ALSO AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS, SUPPORTS AN AREA FOOD PANTRY AND THRIFT STORE THROUGH THE INTERDENOMINATIONAL SOUTHEAST AREA MINISTRIES ORGANIZATION, AND REGULARLY HOSTS CIVIC CLUBS AND TOWN MEETINGS WITHIN ITS FACILITIES. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011