DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, Fort Worth in 1888 was still a young city finding its legs, and on the south side of town, something was taking root that would outlast just about everything around it. Under the leadership of the Reverend James W.
Moore, fifteen men and women came together and organized what they called the St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. Fifteen people.
You might not think that's enough to build a legacy on — but you'd be wrong. They got to work fast. The congregation rehabilitated a building on Ninth Street, and within a decade they'd already secured a parsonage for their minister.
Programs grew. A youth ministry took hold. And before long, fifteen souls had become a congregation large enough to need more room — so they bought a larger structure on Rosedale.
That building did double duty, offering space for Southside Public School to hold classes right there inside its walls. Education and faith, workin the same rooms. Turn the calendar to the start of the twentieth century, and St.
Andrews kept building. A new parsonage was purchased. And here's a name worth remembering — Gracie Echols, the first president of the newly organized Ladies Aid Society.
She and the women of that group rolled up their sleeves and got to furnishing that parsonage, raising funds, keeping pace with a congregation that simply refused to stop growing. Bazaars were held. Pews were added.
A pipe organ. Pulpit furniture. The kind of things that turn four walls into a sanctuary.
Now, by 1950, St. Andrews had its eye on something special — the Missouri Avenue Methodist Church building, designed back in 1904 by an acclaimed Dallas architect by the name of James E. Flanders.
They bought it. And in 1951, that congregation walked through the doors of that yellow brick church and held their first services there. A building with history, now carrying forward a whole new chapter of it.
And through all of this, education kept weaving itself through the story of St. Andrews. Early on, church facilities provided classroom space for an early black public school in Fort Worth.
That tradition of investing in the community never faded. Over the years, church members served as principals, nurses, doctors, and civil rights leaders across the city. And one of the church's longtime ministers, the Reverend Leonard L.
Haynes, made history as the first African American to serve on the Tarrant County Junior College Board of Trustees, as that institution worked through its integration process in the mid to late 1960s. That's not a footnote — that's a pillar. In 1972, when churches nationwide merged into the United Methodist Church, the congregation took on the name they carry to this day — the St.
Andrews United Methodist Church. More than a hundred years of service. Led through education, music, mission, and worship.
Started by fifteen people in a rehabilitated building on Ninth Street. Some roots, when they go that deep, just don't let go.
What the marker says
St. Andrews United Methodist Church of Fort Worth In 1888, under the leadership of the Rev. James W. Moore, 15 men and women organized the St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church. The church rehabilitated a building on Ninth Street and within a decade had a parsonage for its minister. Church programs, including a youth ministry, grew, and the congregation bought a larger structure on Rosedale, offering space for Southside Public School to hold classes. At the beginning of the 20th century, the congregation purchased a new parsonage and organized a Ladies Aid Society. The society's first president was Gracie Echols; she and the women's group worked to furnish the parsonage and raise funds for the ever-growing church, which continued to need room for expansion. Other fund-raising efforts included church bazaars, and the congregation added pews, pipe organ and pulpit furniture. In 1950, St. Andrews Methodist Church purchased the Missouri Avenue Methodist Church building, designed in 1904 by acclaimed Dallas architect James E. Flanders. The St. Andrews congregation held its first services in the yellow brick church in 1951. Over the years, church members have been strong supporters of education in the community and, early on, church facilities provided classroom space for an early black public school. A longtime minister and leader of the church, the Rev. Leonard L. Haynes, became the first African American to serve on the Tarrant County Junior College Board of Trustees, as it began its integration process in the mid to late 1960s. Church members have served as principals, nurses, doctors and civil rights leaders in Fort Worth. The congregation became the St. Andrews United Methodist Church in 1972, when churches nationwide merged into the United Methodist Church. With more than 100 years of service, St. Andrews has led its community through education, music, mission and worship.