Oak Grove United Methodist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Wise County, there's a congregation with roots that go back to 1878, and that kind of staying power deserves a proper telling. The Reverend Jim Smith and the Reverend E.

C. Fullingim gathered fourteen charter members and called it Oak Grove United Methodist Church. Fourteen people.

Now, that might not sound like much, but fourteen determined souls in 1878 is the kind of foundation you build centuries on. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. By 1880, the church had grown enough to become part of the Decatur circuit, and a man by the name of Reverend R.

N. Brown stepped in as its first regular pastor. First regular pastor; meaning the work was real now, the roots were going deep.

Here's the part that gets me, though. That original sanctuary was built ten miles northeast of Decatur. Ten miles.

And at some point the congregation looked at that building, looked at this site, and decided the whole thing needed to move. So in 1902, they did exactly that: they moved it. Lock, stock, and sanctuary.

Then, as if to prove that Oak Grove never stays still for long, a new church building went up and has been in continuous use since 1948. Year after year after year. And every August, true to tradition, Oak Grove held its revival camp meeting, a gathering that kept the faithful coming back through summer heat and Texas drought and all the years in between.

Today, Oak Grove United Methodist stands as one of the oldest rural churches in Wise County. Fourteen charter members, two reverends, one moved building, and more than a hundred years of August revivals. Some foundations just don't quit.

What the marker says

This congregation was organized in 1878 with fourteen charter members by the Reverend Jim Smith and the Reverend E. C. Fullingim. In 1880 the church became part of the Decatur circuit, and the Reverend R. N. Brown served as its first regular pastor. Oak Grove's original sanctuary was constructed ten miles northeast of Decatur but was moved to this site in 1902. The current church building has been in use since 1948. Oak Grove United Methodist, which traditionally held an August revival camp meeting, stands as one of the oldest rural churches in Wise County.