HOW OLD WILL THE JOAQUIN METHODIST CHURCH BE IN 2025?
200 Years (1825)? 149 Years (1876)? Or 130 (1895) Years
Two Earlier Histories of the Joaquin Methodist Church have been published on this Blog at:
https://communicatinglife2.blogspot.com/search?q=Joaquin+United+Methodist
https://communicatinglife2.blogspot.com/search?q=Joaquin+United+Methodist
The exact age of the congregation of the United Methodist Church of Joaquin depends on your historical perspective. In 1821, Mexico, newly independent of Spanish rule, invited settlers from the United States to enter Texas and receive land grants. The invitation precipitated a mass immigration to Texas, with many settlers crossing the Sabine River near the bridges (then a ferry) linking Joaquin and Logansport. There was one restriction, which the new settlers bitterly resented, and broke from the very beginning — Mexico’s proscription against Protestant ministers and Protestant worship in Texas.
On the high rise of land on the Texas side of the River, the new settlers began to hold informal, and illegal, worship services. The location allowed ministers to escape back across the River into Louisiana if Mexican authorities should arrive on the scene. Methodist circuit riding preachers were among the first to offer worship services at this location, approximately 200 years ago (1825). This was only three years after the Arkansas circuit riding Rev. William Stephenson was appointed as the first Texas Methodist Minister in “Peecon” (Pecan) Point (1822), and eight years before the oldest recognized, continuing Methodist congregation in Texas opened their doors at McMahan’s Chapel near St. Augustine (1833).
Long before churches were built, the traditional locations for Methodist preaching, praying, and singing services were “Brush Arbors,” open shelters providing shade from the son, and some protection from rain. In memory of these earliest religious “meeting” places, the First United Methodist Church of Joaquin has constructed a “brush arbor” built in the authentic style of the Texas frontier in the park adjacent to the church. Anyone interested in history is invited to visit the brush arbor, and view the memorial plantings in the park. Children, accompanied by an adult, are invited to enjoy the playground the Church maintains in the park.
Methodism grew rapidly after Texas won their independence in 1836. By 1840 there were 1,878 Methodists in Texas, with 17 Methodist preachers. Circuit riding Methodist preachers continued to hold now-legal services in homes, and brush arbors in hospitable locations, including Brookland community bluff on the western side of the Sabine. The community took its name from the Brook family. The bluff and surrounding land was the property Henry I. Brook, and after his death in 1871, he was the first to be buried in what is now Brookland Cemetery.
We know from historical records that a Methodist Church was built in the Northeast corner of the modern cemetery in 1876 (40 years after Texas Independence and 31years after Statehood). Legend has it that the church was built on the site of a brush arbor that had sheltered some of the earliest Protestant worship in Texas. The Reverend George Hughes, a Methodist Circuit River, was the first Pastor of the church. This date, 1876 which marks the opening of the first building (although the congregation was older) has traditionally been considered the “Founding Date” for the First United Methodist Church of Joaquin..
However, a few years after its founding, the church, known as the Brookland Methodist Church, was moved. Brookland had a small population, and the church was relocated south, to a larger community, and named Harmony Methodist Church. This location was relatively short-lived. In 1884, the church was returned to the original site at the Brookland Cemetery. The Brookland population had grown because the train depot for the Houston East and West Texas Railroad (HE&WT) had been built there.
When the train depot was relocated to what is now the town of Joaquin, the Methodist Church moved too. The new Methodist Church building in Joaquin was completed between 1894 and 1895, and was located across the street from the present church building and behind the railroad depot. A row of cedar trees were planted, and some still stand, 125 years later. The first wedding ceremony in the new church building was that of Dr. William Allen Ramsey and Miss Clara Short on August 8, 1895.
In Joaquin, the Methodist Church attracted many new members, and within 10 years had to have a new and larger building. Located on the site of the present day church, the new church building was 300 yards north of the town square, and opened its doors in the fourth year of the 20th Century. The road, which now runs in front of the church, was, at that time, the main road to Logansport. The new church had a steeple which housed the new church bell, a source of great pride to the whole town. Fourteen years after it was raised into the steeple, on Nov. 11, 1918, this bell rang out the good news of the Armistice. The bell pealed while Joaquin and the rest of our nation celebrated the end of World War I. The historic bell is now mounted on a stand beside the present Church, where members and visitors are invited to remember the American veterans who have died to protect our freedoms.
Seventeen years after it was consecrated, the church building sustained wind damage in the 1921 tornado that brought much destruction to the area. In January, the Rev. John E. Green of Houston held a housewarming revival. In spite of the weather, the house was filled each night and crowds overflowed into the aisles and along the walls. Every available space, including the choir was filled. The building was heated by wood heaters, and sermons were occasionally interrupted by parishioners stoking the fires. The pastor at that time was R. C. Goens. The official dedication of the new church was Sept. 24, 1922. The recorded cost (principally for materials) was $1,500.
When first organized, the Joaquin Methodist Church was part of, “The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.” The original Methodist Church in America split over the question of slavery In 1939, the three main branches of the Methodist Church throughout the United States united into, “The Methodist Church.”
In 1939, when it became the Joaquin Methodist Church, preaching took place every-other-Sunday. The same was true at the Joaquin Baptist Church, so the two churches staggered their preaching dates so there would be a service at one of the churches each Sunday. At that time there was a road on the north side of the railroad track that led from the railroad depot to the Baptist Church. Every week after Sunday School, there would be a line of people going from one church to the other for preaching.
In 1945, at the climax of the second World War, and with the boom that accompanied the return of our fighting men, the Joaquin Methodist Church became a full-time church, for the first time having services every Sunday. The change was attended by the church’s 27th pastor, Rev. R. Eugene Jonte.
The existing church building was constructed and consecrated in 1951, but it was not dedicated until 1961 when the debts incurred in the building were paid in full. To raise the money to finance the building project, the church issued and sold Church Building Bonds. Most of the construction of the church was carried out by the members. Billy Freeman, pastor at the church during the 1990’s, told of how the men sent him, along with the other light-weight and agile boys, into the ceiling to set and attach the rafters and roof of the building.
In, 1962, a year after their new building was paid-off, the Methodist Church officially became “United.” The union was formed between the Methodist Church and the Church of the Brethren and the Evangelical Church (two branches of Methodism which had remained separate because of language barriers). The Brethren Church originally spoke German, and the Evangelical Church spoke Dutch. The new organization was called the “United Methodist Church.”
When a church has served a community for over a century, it becomes impossible to list all of its achievements. A few of these however, should be recorded because of their importance to the community. JFUMC is proud to have started Joaquin Christian Services, and to have operated the program for many years. They operated the Meals for Senior Citizens for a period, and continue to support the program. They have played leading and supportive roles in ecumenical programs including Singing Services, Community Thanksgiving, Community Christmas, Men’s Prayer Breakfasts, and Revivals. For many years, they have hosted the annual luncheon for all graduating seniors, and given thousands of dollars in scholarships to Joaquin High School students.
The First United Methodist Church is known as, “the Church of second chances.” The members are dedicated to ministering to the entire community, bringing God’s Love to ALL of God’s children. They are committed to sharing the Gospel and their lives through commitment to the welfare of others. They strive to be a church where “love” is an active verb.
