In the Beginning

The Beginning of Methodism

The First Methodist Church Building: 1883-1895

The Second Methodist Church Building: 1895-1917

The Third Methodist Church Building 1917-1964

The Fourth Methodist Church Building: 1964 to the Present

The Addition of Heritage Hall

The Church Renovation Project: 1999-2000

The Church Bell

The Time Capsule

Little Children's Daycare

Sunday School Superintendents

In Closing

On August 9, 1964, at a homecoming service, groundbreaking ceremonies were held, followed by a basket lunch. Dirt was turned by District Superintendent of the Brownwood District Dr.W.J. Shelton, followed by the pastor, the Rev. John Basham; chairman of the official board Truman Renshaw; President of the W.S.C.S. Mrs. Levis Wilkerson; Sunday School Superintendent P.B. Rann; President of the M.Y.F. Bodie Weaver; and the job superintendent from Paden Construction Company, Travis Swink.

Also taking part in the ground breaking ceremony were District Lay Leader of the Waco District Derroll Hafford, the Rev. Robert Conway of Fort Worth, the Rev. Lively Brown of Ennis, and the Rev. Edward Otwell of Cleburne. These taking part in the ceremony all had DeLeon ties: Derroll is a native of DeLeon as is his wife, Delta Holdridge Hafford; Robert Conway's wife is a DeLeon native, Anneta Coley Conway; Lively Brown's wife is Gay Whitlow, daughter of the Rev. Whitlow of DeLeon; Ed Otwell was a native of DeLeon. Charles Morgan of Morton Chapel and W. P. Whitlow, who was a pioneer member of the Downing Church, represented the two rural churches. Construction began the next day.

The present building stands on a hill where it commands a view of DeLeon. The beautifully landscaped grounds bordered on the street side by a row of stately trees are an outstanding attraction on Texas Avenue.

The building is of brick veneer construction in modern design. The sanctuary, with its high vaulted ceiling and exposed laminated beams, has a seating capacity of 268, with "overflow" space for 80 to 90 more (this space has sliding doors and doubles as Sunday School classrooms). Woodwork is a light oak finish with matching pews. The windows were of lexon glass in a modern design with blue, the predominating color. Several other colors were intermingled and make a beautiful picture when the light shines through. The pews were originally upholstered in red and the carpeting was red. Indirect lighting accents the beautiful colors of the interior.

There were 14 classrooms, a youth center, a study for the pastor, a large fellowship hall, and well-planned kitchen facilities. The entire area of 12,000 square feet was centrally heated and air-conditioned.

Those on the building committee were Truman Renshaw, Marvin Holdridge, I.C. Donegan, P.B. Rann, Mrs. Lucille Wilkerson, Mrs. Dale Smith, Coy Otwell, and Jim. H. Wilkerson. These hard-working people were careful to include some of the treasured, beautiful stained-glass windows from the previous building to be used them in the new building. The two largest ones were installed in the apex of the second story over the front entrance in a large room furnished as a parlor. This area also housed the church library in the beginning, and provides a useful place for brides to make their final preparations for their weddings in the sanctuary below.

Across from this room looking down into the sanctuary was a "cry room" where parents could sit with their infant and hear the sermon and see what was going on.

Additionally, two of the matching stained glass panels were installed on either side of the double doors at the foyer entrance, one of which depicts Mary holding her child, the Lamb of God; the other a painting of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, holding a lamb.

Total cost of this building was $100,000. The Rev. John Bashman exercised leadership during the building program and was lavish with his praise of the hard-working committees and membership.

It seemed very fitting for the first service held in the new building to be a Thanksgiving service, 1964. The people invited their friends from other churches to join them for this special occasion. The worship service was held in the still-unfinished sanctuary. Pews had not yet been installed, and chairs were set up for the service. A Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyed in the fellowship hall.

Bishop Kenneth Pope made his first trip to DeLeon on February 21, 1965, to hold consecration service for the new building. Five years and a few months later, on May 3, 1970, he returned to hold the dedication services.

The first wedding performed in the church was on May 22, 1965, when Mrs. Johnnie Stephenson was married to Jess Jacobs. The first formal wedding for a church member was on July 7, 1967, when Judy Marie Wilkerson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Wilkerson, was married to David Michael Smith. The Rev. John Basham performed both ceremonies.

The first baby was christened on January 17, 1965. She was Lisa Williams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Williams.

The first funeral was for Mrs. Ruth Sinclair Yager. The first funeral for a member of the De Leon church was for Mrs. Homer Hafford on January 8, 1965. The second was for Jim Morgan on February 26, 1965.

But time, growing membership, and changing needs of the church continued to demand appropriate response to the needs of the membership and of the community.

There was a need for more Sunday School classrooms. The fellowship hall/youth facility had long been unable to accommodate church dinners, district meetings, the needs of the youth activities, and the Community Men's' Prayer Breakfast.

Accordingly, in 1974, the north wing of the church was extended to accommodate two more Sunday School rooms, an expansion of the youth area, and a new study for the pastor. The library was moved from the second floor to adjoin the pastor's study. The original pastor's study was combined with a Sunday School room to make an enlarged nursery for the toddlers.