FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The following was taken from page /// of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas

The First United Methodist Church was organized as Shawnee mission in the Lake Soda District, December 22, 1842.

 The mission was located somewhere near the end of South Main Street, and Preston Hobbs was stationed there.

 In 1843, the name of the church was changed to Henderson and Oren Hatch was appointed to the change.  At the East Texas Conference in 1845, Henderson became a circuit with William Craig assigned as minister.  The church then occupied the bottom floor of a two-story house on the corner of East Depot and North Main.  The upper part was the Masonic Hall.

 In 1853 at the East Texas Conference, Henderson became a station with eighty-two members.  J.B. Tullis was appointed minister.

 In 1881, T.P. Smith gathered sufficient funds for the erection of a frame building at the corner of East Charlivoix and N. Marshall.  In 1917, during the pastorate of H.H. McCain, this was supplanted by the first brick structure.

 In 1935 a brick educational building was erected under the leadership of Neal D. Cannon, pastor.  In 1956-57 a new brick sanctuary was built during the pastorate of N.A. Brauner.  The old church building was converted into classrooms for the church school.  The basement of the old building was turned into a fellowship hall with a modern well-equipped kitchen in 1959-1960 during the time of A.D. Limon’s pastorate.

 An explosion in the boiler room Friday, December 8, 1967 destroyed the three-story Education Building & caused extensive damage to other church property.  H. Eugene Cragg, pastor and a building committee made plans to construct a Children’s Building where the old Education Building had stood.

 In June 1977, the present pastor, A.Wayne Jones, assumed his duties as minister of Henderson’s First United Methodist Church.  Under his leadership the church continues its ministry in the name of Christ to the people of Henderson and Rusk County.