History of First United Methodist Church *
November 12, 1916 to February 3, 1973
#1
History of Meyers Memorial United
Methodist Church, the first part of which was taken from the
Southern German Conference Journal of 1922.
The Quarterly
Conference was petitioned in 1914 to designate Riesel as a supply
station. The was approved and a church was rented and W. A Tampke,
a neighboring pastor, began the work of organizing a Sunday School
with Bro. Wm. Haertner as superintendent. Then the following year
Riesel was organized as an independent congregation with Rev. W.
A. Moers as its first pastor. Plans for a new church were approved
on February 26, 1916. In the fall the church was ready to be
dedicated. Because the receipts from the sale of the Meyers
Memorial Church in Galveston were used in the building of the
Riesel Church, it was given the same name in honor of the Meyers
family of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Methodist Episcopal
Church South, which was established in the late 1880's, and the
Meyers Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church were merged in 1939 at
the present site. Many good and dedicted pastors have served the
people to this present day. In the years of good and faithful
service this church has given four men and one young lady for
Christian service. They are Lee Geldmeier, Marvin Mott, Arthur
Renfro, H.F. Meier Jr., and Miss Opal Meier, who served as a
Foreign Missionary in Santiago, Chile.
The names of the
Trustees that we find on the marble plaque in front of Meyers
Memorial Methodist Church were men who gave their time and service
in the organizing and building this church. They are H.F. Miller,
Fred Miller, C.G. Graeter, Henry Klatt, H.F. Meier, Sr., Paul
Krueger, Otto Nehring, and Rev. W. A. Moers, pastor.
#2
At the annual meeting of the
Southern Conference held in Sequin, Texas, November, 1915, the
name of W. A. Moers was read and he was sent to take up his work
in Riesel. At this same conference a letter was read from J.B.
Meyer of new Orleans, La, in which he gives consent for the sale
of the Galveston Property known as the Meyers Memorial M.E.
Church. Of the proceeds of the sale of this property they
authorized that $3,000 be set aside for the erection of the Meyers
Memorial Methodist Church in Riesel.
Other Pastors had
conducted preaching services in Riesel, but at the coming of the
Rev. Moers, the group was organized into a society. This
congregation came to be known as the German Methodist Church, as
much as it was known as Meyers Memorial.
On June 19, 1916,
at the meeting of the Board of Trustees, it was moved and carried
that a church with basement be erected. The trustees present at
this meeting were Paul Krueger, F.H and Fred Miller, O. Hehiring,
Henry Klatt, C.G Grater. and H.F. Meier. On November 12 the same
year, the new church building was dedicated. On February 8, 1919,
it was voted to build a parsonage. G.C Brannies was the pastor at
this time and under his leadership the parsonage was built.
These
buildings served the congregation and the community as a meeting
place and place to vote until the early '70's. In the summer of
1972, plans for a new structure got underway with the actual
demolition of the old building beginning the first week in
February, 1973. A $30, 000 brick building was erected on the same
site. Most of the work of razing the old church and building the
new was done by volunteer labor by members of the congregation and
other Rieselites.
First Services held in the new church
were on August 5, 1973 and the church name was changed from Meyers
Memorial to First Methodist Church. Following the services, dinner
was served by the ladies of the congregation to all those who had
contributed time and labor to the project, both those of the
church and other community members. Dedication services for the
new chapel of the church were held February 3, 1974.
In
February, 1977, a complete remodeling of the parsonage was
planned. Leveling, insulating, enlarging of the living areas, a
new roof , vinyl siding and central heat and air made the
parsonage as modern as any home in town. Open house for the newly
refurbished building was held June 19.
While Rev. Carroll Caddell was pastor of Meyers Memorial,
another important transition took place in the life of the
church.
In May of 1972, the congregation voted to build a
new church. Plans were drawn up by the building committee for the
new church which will seat 150, have a pastor's office, fellowship
hall, and six classrooms. It was also decided to use as much old
material as possible, stained glass windows, and lights from the
old church.
On February 3, 1973, the final worship service
was held in the original church. On Monday, the congregation began
work on demolishing the old building to begin construction on the
new building on the same site.. Much volunteer labor was used in
razing the old and constructing the new. Church services were held
in the school band hall until completion of the new building.
On
February, 1974, the congregation dedicated a new debt-free $35,000
church building to begin construction on the new building in a
worship service where the choir sang a special anthem, "Great
Things God Hath Done". 250 people were in attendance with
Bishop W. McFerrin Stowe preaching.
With the new building
came a new name. Meyers Memorial United Methodist Church became
First United Methodist Church of Riesel.
Moving on into the
1980's, First UMC began to experience some growth in the church
which eventually led to growing out of the classrooms and the
fellowship hall of the new church.
In October of 1988, under
the leadership of the Rev. Jane Lovett, an All-Church Conference
was held to finalize plans for construction and financing the new
building. Total cost for construction of the new building was
estimated at $69,000. Don Jackson, contractor and member of the
church, agreed to build the building and work began in July.
In
August of 1989, the UMW held a garage sale to help raise money for
the new building. Along with it was a car wash, barbequed
chickens, and a country store. It was all a huge success, with
many of the church members donating items, time, prayers, and
support.
The building was completed in late October. On Sunday
afternoon, November 5, 1989, furniture was moved in. The following
Saturday evening, a hamburger supper was served in the new
fellowship hall to give the church and community the opportunity
to see the new building. The next day, November 12th, Sunday
School was held for the first time in the new classrooms.
#1
#1 Taken from the
bullentin dedicating the new Followship Hall and Educational
Building January 28, 1990
#2 Taken from "Where in the
World is Riesel." by Dorothy Kuehl.
*A special thanks to Dorothy Kuehl
for allowing us to copy this church history from her book "Where
In The World Is Riesel". This history was researched from
back issues of the Riesel Rustler, our hometown paper.
Anyone
having any information in reference to the History of the Church
are asked to please contact
First United Methodist Church of
Riesel
PO Box25
Riesel Texas 76682
Phone 254-896-3431
or
Donna Lea
PO Box 61
Riesel TX 76682
Phone-254-
896-5302
E-mail: mistyowl@hotmail.com
