DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells this story, and now so do I — here's what it says about St. James United Methodist Church in Waco, McLennan County. Now, when folks talk about the oldest churches in Waco, St.
James Methodist Church belongs in that conversation — and has for a long time. We're talking about a congregation organized way back in 1874, and the man who set it in motion was Father Anderson Brack, who would go on to walk this earth until 1905. Think about where it all began.
The first worship services weren't held in any grand sanctuary. They were held in a house — a simple house near the Brazos River, a building that also served as a school for the black community. Church and school, shelter and spirit, all under one roof at the same time.
That's not a small thing. That's a community deciding, right from the start, that faith and learning were going to travel together. From those humble beginnings, the congregation of St.
James didn't stand still. They built sanctuaries. More than one.
Each one a step forward, each one a statement that this congregation intended to stay and to grow. And then, in 1924, they finished work on the building that stands here today. Now, when you lay eyes on that building, you understand why it warranted remembering.
It was designed in a modified Gothic Revival style — and they did not cut corners. Decorative brickwork, pointed arch windows, and octagonal towers rising up against the Texas sky. That's a building that means what it says.
And what has that congregation said over the years? More than a century of missionary work, community service, and Christian education. Over a hundred years of showing up — for each other, for Waco, for something bigger than themselves.
Father Anderson Brack started something near the Brazos River with a house and a handful of faithful people. What they built — in brick and in deed — is still standing.
What the marker says
One of Waco's oldest churches, St.James Methodist Church was organized in 1874 by Father Anderson Brack (d. 1905). From the first worship services, conducted in a house near the Brazos River that served as a school for the black community, the congregation built several sanctuaries before completing work on this building in 1924. Designed in a modified Gothic Revival style, it features decorative brickwork, pointed arch windows,and octagonal towers. For over a century, the congregation of St. James has been active in missionary work, community service, and Christian education. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986