First United Methodist Church of Arlington

Located at 313 W. Center St., Arlington.

This congregation was established soon after the Texas and Pacific Railroad line was laid through Arlington. In 1877 the Rev. J.T. L. Annis was appointed pastor of the Arlington circuit, which served several area communities, including Arlington. Some of the fellowship's early worship services were held at Schultz's Lumber Yard on Front Street. By 1900, however, a small frame church building had been erected at this site, and Sunday schools, mission activities, and a women's division had been organized. Church membership continued to grow over the years, and facilities were added and expanded to meet the need. Known as Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, South, until 1948, the congregation then was called First Methodist Church of Arlington until 1968, when the current name was adopted. First United Methodist Church of Arlington historically has been a strong supporter of youth programs, the business and professional communities, the elderly, and education. Numerous Arlington schools have been named for members of this congregation who have provided significant service to community education. (1984)

Greater Saint James Baptist Church

Located at 210 Harding St., Fort Worth.

Founded in 1895 by the Rev. J. Francis Robinson and members of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, St. James Baptist Church, first met in the local Y.M.C.A. building. Construction of this building began in 1913, and services were held in the basement until the sanctuary was completed in 1918. The red brick building, featuring elements of the Gothic Revival style, is simply detailed with shallow brick reliefs and patters, cast stone, and art glass windows. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1986.

Handley United Methodist Church

Located at 2924 Handley Dr., Fort Worth.

This congregation was organized in 1877, shortly after the railroad town of Handley was established. The Rev. J.J. Cannafax, who was the first minister, also served as the town's first school teacher. Services were held in the one room schoolhouse until a Union Church was built in 1882. The Methodist congregation shared the building with Baptists, Presbyterians, and other denominations until 1907. The bell at this site is from the Old Union Church. Although Handley now is a part of Fort Worth, the Handley United Methodist Church maintains a rich heritage and tradition of service. (1985)

Hemphill Presbyterian Church

Located at 1701 Hemphill St., Fort Worth.

This Neo-Classical auditorium was built in 1925 to serve the increasing membership of Hemphill Presbyterian Church. Dedicated the following year, the building features a brick parapet and a bay window on the north corner. The imposing entrance consists of three open oval brick arches flanked by large pilasters. The neighborhood landmark continues to serve a large congregation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984.

Isham Chapel Methodist Church

Located at 530 Elm St., Hurst.

Named for its founding Minister, the Rev. Marion Isham (1831-1904), this congregation was organized in the 1870s with eleven charter members. In 1876 B.H. Ross donated land (2 Mi. S) for a church and school, and a small frame church building soon was erected. A community school met in Isham Chapel until 1891. Over the years the church membership increased steadily, and in 1952 the congregation relocated to the rapidly growing community of Hurst. Now known as First United Methodist Church of Hurst, the fellowship has worshiped at this site since 1964. (1983)

Keller Methodist Church

Located at 1025 Johnson Road, Keller.

From 1886, the Christian denominations of Keller and other areas shared their facilities. Pastor W. K. Simpson served the area when the Keller Methodist Church was organized in 1897. In 1913 the church erected its own building; by 1946, the Rev. R. V. Holt was serving a full-time station with a membership of 136. The congregation acquired new buildings as needed. Renamed the First United Methodist Church of Keller in 1968, the members have brought such programs to the community as Christian Community Storehouse and the Building Blocks Preschool. (1997)

Mansfield Methodist Church

Located at 601 Pleasant Ridge Road, Mansfield.

This congregation was established in Mansfield in 1885 by 14 charter families who had migrated to Texas from other part of the U.S. worship services were held in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church until a one-room frame building was constructed on North First Street in 1890. The Mansfield church was named as head of circuit for the Methodist Church and the Rev. E.D.L. Tims was appointed as minister. The Mansfield congregation also built a large tabernacle in 1891 and shared it with other churches in town for summer revival meetings. A storm destroyed the one-room sanctuary in 1903. A larger edifice was built in 1904, and featured arched stained glass windows and a bell tower, and served the congregation until it burned in 1942. A brick church structure was completed in 1945, largely by community labor. Later, five acres were purchased on Pleasant Ridge and a larger facility was built and dedicated in 1981 to house the growing membership. The church has supported community service programs including boy scouts, outreach for those in need, missionary ministries, and Christian day care facilities. The first Methodist Church of Mansfield continues to serve the area as it has for more than 110 years. (1996)

Meadowbrook Methodist Church

Located at 3900 Meadowbrook Drive, Fort Worth.

This congregation traces its original to the establishment in 1911 of the Sycamore Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Sagamore Hill Methodist Episcopal Church, South. These two small mission congregations, initially led by theology student Alonzo Monk, Jr., were located in the Meadowbrook section of the former Polytechnic Community of eastern Fort Worth. Having outgrown their respective facilities by 1925, the two churches, located within the same residential district, merged in 1928 to form the Meadowbrook Methodist Episcopal Church, South. That year, 475 charter members held their first church services in a newly built two-story frame sanctuary located in the 3900 block of Meadowbrook Drive. The Rev. Jesse Herman Baldridge was the congregation's First Pastor. In 1939 the Meadowbrook Methodist Episcopal Church, South, became the Meadowbrook Methodist Episcopal Church. The frame building was converted to a sunday school and a new Gothic-style stone sanctuary was completed in 1949. Subsequent building programs over the next two decade resulted in the improvement of classroom facilities and the construction of a fellowship hall. Meadowbrook United Methodist Church continues to serve the community with a variety of programs. (1993)

Minters Chapel Methodist Church

Located at 4344 Cheek-Sparger Road, Grapevine.

Four pioneer area families established this congregation about 1854. Early services were conducted in a log cabin on land donated by James Cate for the church, a school and a cemetery. The congregational name was chosen in honor of the Rev. Green Washington Minter (1803-87), who was instrumental in the founding and early growth of the fellowship. Despite hardships, the church became a focal point of the community it served. It was moved here in 1967 when the original location was included within boundaries of the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport. (1982)

Mount Gilead Baptist Church

Located at the southwest corner of Bancroft and Ottinger Roads, Keller.

The earliest religious meetings here began in the late 1840s as part of Lonesome Dove Baptist Church. The Mt. Gilead Congregation was chartered in 1850 under the direction of the Rev. John Allen Freeman (1821-1919) with 8 members, including 2 slaves. It was the first church started after the formation of Tarrant County in 1849. Early services were held in homes and in a log schoolhouse at this site on land owned by Daniel Barcroft (1812-81). Except for a time in the late 1870s and early 1880s when meetings were held elsewhere, the church has worshiped at this site. (1981)

Mount Olive Baptist Church

Located at 301 W. Sanford St., Arlington.

A small group of African American Tarrant County residents, led by the Rev. Mr. Squires, organized Mount Olive Baptist Church in the summer of 1897. Originally located on Indiana Street, the church moved to a new white brick sanctuary at 415 N. West Street in 1966, when the city of Arlington experienced a period of growth. The church had sixteen members in 1966, but soon the membership rolls began to increase. By 1976, when the church was formally incorporated, it had more than 400 members. Groundbreaking for a new church building took place on October 31, 1976, and by June 1978 the members were worshiping in a new facility. A steady increase in membership led to the building of additional facilities to house the extended ministries and programs of the church. By 1986, membership totaled 3,500. The church moved to new facilities on Sanford Street in 1989, and membership grew to 10,000 by 1997. In addition to its long history of providing worship and educational programs for its members, Mount Olive Baptist Church has maintained an innovative and active outreach program in the community. Celebrating a century of service in 1997, the church continues to uphold the values and traditions of its founders. (1997)

Mount Zion Baptist Church

Located at 1101 Evans St., Fort Worth.

On Dec. 25, 1894, State Evangelist the Rev. Frank Tribune organized this Baptist church with five members: Ella and Lee Brooks, Katie Patterson, Laura Purvis, and Josephine Wells. With help from the Rev. Dr. A.R. Griggs, the members built a frame structure in 1907 at the corner of Louisiana and Rosedale. In 1915 the present site was acquired and a tabernacle erected. This brick church building was begun in 1919 under the Rev. M.K. Curry. The church debt was paid during the Rev. A.W. Pryor's pastorate, 1924-1949. While the Rev. S.T. Alexander was Pastor, 1949-1968, an education building was added. (1978)

New Hope Baptist Church

Located at 6765 Dick Price Rd., Mansfield.

The Rev. D. F. Smith and fourteen charter members organized New Hope Baptist Church before 1886, when the congregation joined the Tarrant Baptist Association. In its early years, the congregation met once a month in the New Hope school building. J. J. Williams, the son of a charter members, gave land for a church building in 1903. It was dedicated in 1905. Services were held twice each month beginning in 1917. Full-time services were begun in 1942 and a new auditorium was erected in 1948, heralding a time of prosperity for the church. The congregation built a new sanctuary in 1972 to serve its growing membership. The church remains active in the traditions of its founders with programs of worship and service to its members and the larger community. (2000)

Site of Oak Grove Methodist Church

Located at 1225 Oak Grove Lane, Bedford.

Named for its wooded site at the time of its founding in early 1886, Oak Grove Methodist Church was organized with 30 members and was one of five churches on the Keller Circuit. A building acquired from another church was moved onto the property in 1887. Members built a brush arbor for summer meetings and revivals, which were attended by community members of all faiths. Some Oak Grove members formed Colleyville Methodist Church in 1924. Most Colleyville members continued to attend Oak Grove services for many years. In 1925 the early house of worship was replaced. Oak Grove had 99 members in 1935. As population centers changed, Oak Grove's membership declined. By 1949 the church had only twelve members, and it was dissolved early that year. Its last building was moved to Colleyville and used by that congregation from 1950 to 1961. (2000)

Pleasant Glade Baptist Church

Located at 3708 Glade Road, Colleyville.

Pleasant Glade Baptist Church, also known as Pleasant Glade Missionary Baptist Church, was organized September 19, 1923, in the historic Pleasant Glade community. The fourteen charter members were all formerly of Pleasant Run Baptist Church (organized in 1877). Several other members joined that day, and the newly ordained Reverend O. M. Heflin later became first pastor. The congregation purchased an existing frame church building at Cottonwood, northeast of Grapevine, and relocated it to this site. Their first revival meeting was held on September 24, 1924, and inspired thirty people to join the church. During the Depression era, the congregation persevered and continued to grow. As a rural farming community, they were better able to cope with the difficult financial times than their city cousins. By the end of World War II, the church was prosperous enough to build a parsonage, completed in 1947. Improvements to the church building and additions to the land were made in the late 1940s and early 1950s and continued as needed thereafter. The congregation was renamed First Baptist Church of Pleasant Glade on July 4, 1956. A few days later they began a mission church in the nearby town of Hurst. The mission flourished and became Bellevue Baptist Church within a year. A modern church facility was completed in 1963. The Pleasant Glade Baptist Church continues in the traditions of its founders. Its programs include youth and community outreach, men's and women's groups, and missionary support. The church continues to serve northeastern Tarrant County. (2000)

Pleasant Run Baptist Church

Located at 6005 Pleasant Run Road, Colleyville.

The Baptist Church of Christ of Pleasant Run was organized on April 7, 1877, by a presbytery consisting of J.Q. Barnett, L.H. Foster, A.J. Hallford and M.J. Mills. The congregation met at first in the one-room Grange Hall or Lodge in what became known as Bransford. Later, they moved to Pleasant Run School, located a short distance south of the present church building. In 1904 W.H. Throop and Dave Vickers gave on acre of land for a church house. Later, Sunday School rooms, an educational facility and a sanctuary were added.

Riverside Methodist Church

Located at 3419 E. Belkap, Fort Worth.

According to local oral tradition, Riverside Methodist Episcopal Church, South, began in March 1888, when the Rev. C.F. Vance and ten people held Sunday School in an abandoned saloon at E. First and Sylvania Streets. After organizing a congregation,the members bought land at the corner of E. First and Ross Avenue (now Retta) in 1893 and built a frame sanctuary. In its early years, the congregation was served by visiting ministers and by students at Polytechnic College (now Texas Wesleyan University). The church building was moved to the southeast corner of Noble Street and Frey Avenue (now Riverside Drive) in 1907. It continued in use until 1925, when it was replaced by a basement for a new structure. The name of the church was changed in 1924 to Sylvania Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, South, but in 1935 in reverted to its original name when Frey Avenue was renamed Riverside Drive. A sanctuary was completed over the 1925 basement in 1937, and a new facility was built on adjacent lots in 1951. Highway construction and changing neighborhood dynamics led to the Church's relocation to this site in 1982. After a denominational name change in 1968, it became known as Riverside United Methodist Church.

Saint John Missionary Baptist Church

Located at 3324 House Anderson Rd., Euless.

In 1874 a small group of former slaves met at the the home of Frank Young and organized this congregation, which originally was named Oak Grove Baptist Church. During the late 19th-century pastorate of the Rev. Jim Carroll, the name was changed to St. John, and a two-story church and Masonic lodge building was constructed near this site on land donated by Tennessee Blackburn. The congregation built its own sanctuary here in 1911. Throughout its history, St. John Missionary Baptist Church has been a source of service and leadership for the Mosier Valley Community.

Saint John's Evangelical and Reform Church

Located at 908 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth.

A United Church of Christ, this congregation was chartered October 1882 under the direction of the Rev. F. Werning, a pioneer missionary from Waco. It grew from early worship services in the home of Mr. and Mrs. H. Raab, conducted for twelve families of German descent. The Church's original sanctuary was built on Calhoun Street, but was moved to the corner of Texas and Taylor streets before being relocated here in 1915. For over a century St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church has played in an important role in the area's development.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church

Located at 1200 Wesleyan St., Fort Worth.

This congregation was formed in 1940 by the merger of several historic Fort Worth Methodist Churches. The Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1883 with twenty charter members under the leadership of the Rev. P.S. Juhline. Use of the Swedish language during worship services continued until 1920. In 1924 the name of the congregation was changed to Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church. Six years later, St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church merged with the Broadway Congregation. St. Paul's had been organized in 1877 with thirty charter members under the leadership of the Rev. Harvey Webb. Mulkey Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church began in the late 1880s as a mission of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Fort Worth. The church was named for the Rev. and Mrs. William Mulkey, parents of George Mulkey, who was a charter member of the new church. The Rev. John M. Barcus served as first pastor. At the 1940 Annual Conference these historic congregations merged to become the Broadway-Mulkey Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The name St. Mark was adopted in 1945. The congregation has worshiped at this site since 1960. [Now renamed Christ-Life Church]