This Week in Texas Methodist History  April 1 Bishop Joyce Delivers Missionary Speech In Episcopal Church in Marshall  1900 Although Methodism grew out of Anglicanism, there was considerable friction between the Episcopal Church and Methodists in Texas.   In 1853 the Methodist preacher at Bastrop, J. W. Whipple, invited the Episcopal Missionary Bishop George Washington Freeman to preach in his church.  Whipple and his colleague J. H. Addison attended the service and found it so lacking in spirituality that they kept the congregation after Freemen's departure so ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  March 24 Mt. Zion MEC Cornerstone Laid in Brenham  1879 The church is closed now, but the building still stands on the west side of Brenham near Blinn College.   The cornerstone for the building was laid November 28, 1879, under the direction of its pastor, Spencer Hardwell.  Hardwell was one of the most prominent members of the conference having served Wesley in Austin and would leave Brenham for his next appointment, Mt. Vernon in Houston.  Also in attendance was Benjamin Watrous, a delegate to the Texas Constitutio ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  March 17 Orceneth Fisher Calls for Doubling the Number of Bishops, 1854 Orecenth Fisher (1803-1880) was one of the most prominent Methodist preachers of 19th century Texas.  He was an author, pastor, presiding elder, editor, delegate to General Conference.   His membership in the Missouri Conference, Texas Conference, East Texas Conference, and Pacific Conference gave him an above average ability to view the Methodist church as a whole.  As the General Conference of the MECS of 1854 approached, Fisher called for delegates to ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  February 25 Texans Look Forward to Uniting Conference in Kansas City, 1939 In April 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church.  By doing so Methodists undid breaches that had occurred in the 19th century.   Naturally this was a grand affair of reconciliation of the three denominations and Kansas City was determined to put its best foot forward as the host city.  As was customary invitations were sent to dignitaries includ ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  February 18 J. B. Ahrens Laments Problems Facing German Mission Efforts in Texas  1882 The Board of Missions of the MECS met during the General Conference of 1882, and J. B. Ahrens of New Orleans addressed the group on the difficulties facing the German mission work in Texas and Louisiana.  Those two states constituted the only German speaking conference in the MECS.  The MEC, on the other hand, had 8 German speaking conferences in the US and even sent missionaries back to Germany. Arhrens was born in Germany in 1836.  H im ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History February 4 Snapshot:  Texas MECS Bishops on Eve of Unification   1939 As the Methodist world concentrated on the May 1939 Unification Conference in Kansas City, final statistics were being gathered from the last sessions of the annual conferences of the MECS, MEC, and MP denominations that would soon be a part of history as they united to become the Methodist Church. I thought readers might be interested in the bishops who had some connection with Texas as unification approached. One should remember that bishops served more than one ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History January 28 Orceneth Fisher Asks Holland McTyeire for Help Against "Shavers"  1851 Did you ever wonder how Methodists supported their missions?  There was no national banking system.  There were no peer-to-peer apps on cell phones.   Checking Accounts?  Still not in common use.    Money usually consisted as coin--including British and Spanish coin.  Many Texans relied on a system of barter and IOU's, Methodists were often quite generous in supporting missionaries, but how to get the money from the donor to ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History  January 21 Texas Methodists Mourn Passing of Beloved Pastor and Bishop Hiram M. DuBose, January 1941 A bishop who had served some of the most prominent churches of the Texas Conference died at his home in Nashville in January 1941.  There was an outpouring of fond memories of the time DuBose served in the Texas Conference. Hiram DuBose was born in Alabama in 1858.  His father was a local preacher, but not fully ordained.  The family then moved to Mississippi where Dubose grew up.  His only formal education was at Waynesbor ..read more

 This Week in Texas Methodist History January 14 Stamford District Votes to Raise Funds for a Stamford Memorial Building at McMurry, January 1944 In January 1944 the Stamford District Conference of the Northwest Texas Conference voted to participate in the fund-raising effort under way at McMurry College in Abilene.   Although World War II had resulted in decreased enrollments in Methodist colleges, McMurry was trying to raise $1,750,000 for new buildings and endowment.  About $700,000 had already been raised in pledges and cash.   Members of the District Confer ..read more

  This Week in Texas Methodist History January 7 San Augustine Methodists Celebrate Centennial of Cornerstone Laying, January 7, 1938 The first recorded cornerstone laying ceremony of a Methodist Church building in Texas that can be documented occurred in San Augustine on January 7, 1838.   Littleton Fowler recorded in his Journal that about 800 people were in attendance for that event.  He was one of the main speakers.  General (later Senator) Thomas J. Rusk was the other.  The ceremony followed the ritual of the Masonic Order.  Fowler had spent most of the ..read more