H.R. No. 189
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Members of First United Methodist Church of
Palestine are joining together on September 11, 2011, to celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the dedication of their present building
and to mark 175 years of Methodism in the Palestine area; and
WHEREAS, It was in 1836, the same year that Texas won its
independence, that a Methodist missionary first arrived in the
settlement of Fort Houston, situated two miles west of present-day
Palestine, and began conducting services; in the early days, when
area residents gathered for worship, men would take turns standing
guard against the threat of Indian attack; and
WHEREAS, In 1840, the fledgling congregation began meeting in
the home of Roland Box, where services were led by the Reverend John
Wilson, from the Crockett Mission in adjacent Houston County; after
Palestine became the county seat in 1846, the congregation moved to
the new town, along with most of the other residents of Fort
Houston; a frame church, Bascom Chapel, was built by the Methodist
Society in 1850, and as the only church building in Palestine, it
was also used by the Baptists, Presbyterians, and Disciples of
Christ; the first Methodist Sunday school was organized in 1853;
and
WHEREAS, The Methodist congregation erected a new building,
designed by the noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton, in
1884 and named it Centenary Church, to mark a century of Methodism
in the United States; construction was begun on the current church
building in 1910, and a formal dedication took place the following
year; recent improvements have included new Sunday school and
children's buildings and a new fellowship hall; and
WHEREAS, Countless Texans have looked to First United
Methodist Church of Palestine for spiritual sustenance and guidance
through the years, and it is indeed a pleasure to recognize this
historic congregation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the dedication of the First United Methodist Church
building in Palestine and 175 years of Methodism in the Palestine
area; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Palestine as an
expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
Cook
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 189 was adopted by the House on June
28, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House