DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Out in Uvalde County, in the little community of Montell, a Methodist Church mission took root in 1889. Now, they didn't start with four walls and a steeple.
The congregation met in a number of locations, and in the summer months, they gathered under a brush arbor. Just branches and sky overhead, and whatever faith you brought with you. A missionary by the name of N.
W. Keith served this congregation, and by 1895 a Union Sunday School had been organized. Things were taking shape.
Then came the morning of June 1, 1908, when the congregation dedicated a permanent church building. After nearly two decades of meeting wherever they could, they finally had a home. For years after that, services were held once a month, steady as the seasons turning, with one exception.
During World War II, services were temporarily suspended. The marker doesn't dress that up, and neither will I. Something about that quiet, a congregation that had survived brush arbors and decades of dust, going still for a time, carries its own weight.
When they came back, things had changed a little. Since 1948, the congregation has met for worship on alternating Sundays. A different rhythm, but the same roots.
And here's the part that tends to linger: descendants of those pioneer members remain active in the church to this day. Some stories don't end. They just keep showing up on Sunday.
What the marker says
A Methodist Church mission was established in the community of Montell in 1889. Served by missionary N. W. Keith, the congregation met in a number of locations, including a brush arbor in the summer months. A Union Sunday School was organized by 1895. A permanent church building was dedicated on June 1, 1908. Services were held once a month except for a period during Word War II when they were temporarily suspended. Since 1948 the congregation has met for worship on alternating Sundays. Descendants of pioneer members remain active in the church. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986