Our History Timeline
1949: Meeting in new sanctuary	1984: Rally on church lawn	1994: CLC Groundbreaking

In 1999, First UMC DeSoto celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary. This history was compiled for that event by Lucile Shockley, the church’s historian.

God has truly blessed this ministry during its 50 years of continuous service, and we are reminded of the vision that has shaped this church since its beginning. 

 How often our pilgrimage of faith is limited by our past.  We long for the "Good Old Days" which may not have been very good). Somehow, we think life was better then.  Like the Israelites, we find it hard to move through the wilderness on faith.  Staying with the familiar is easier than venturing into the unknown, but God is calling us to a pilgrimage of faith. The pilgrimage of faith for FUMC DeSoto started with only three Methodist women who came to DeSoto to see if there were enough families in the area to form a church. From that beginning our fellowship has grown deeper and closer to our Lord. Now, it’s time to recall our story.

The present church traces its history to the summer of 1948. The three Methodist women taking a census of potential church members in the small farming community of DeSoto found eight families who expressed interest in organizing a new Methodist Church in DeSoto. Those eight families met together in the school and made commitments to an annual budget of $900 and a building program of $10,000, both great amounts in those days.

In the next four months, five additional families joined the church. Construction of the first sanctuary on Belt Line Road began in September 1948. After the carpenters finished their work each day, members of the 13 families gathered nightly to install flooring, plumbing, wiring, sidewalks and shrubs. Together these pioneers developed a close fellowship and a closeness to the new church and God when that first building was opened in December 1948.  

 In the next six years, the church grew to the point the original debt was paid off and additional facilities were built onto the original church. That original facility at the corner of Bob White and Belt Line Roads was actually two buildings in one.  It served four purposes --- a sanctuary, fellowship hall, educational facilities and a parsonage. The building continues in use today as DeSoto Private School. 

 Our heritage is rich. From the beginning the tradition of our church has been a mission church concerned with nurture, training and education. 

The history of the Methodist Church in DeSoto and the City of DeSoto--named to honor Dr. Thomas Hernando DeSoto Stewart--share many common threads. In 1999, not only do we celebrate the founding of our church, but also the awarding city charter in1949.   

Both the city and church trace their roots to the 1800’s. Before the successful 1948 effort to organize a Methodist church in DeSoto, there were other efforts that failed. The first church in DeSoto was the Union church built around 1891 on a lot given by “Uncle” Pat Bordner. The site a little west of the old artesian well, now abandoned, reverted back to the Bordner family after the church was torn down.  A portion of this land was bought by the City of DeSoto.   

The Southwest Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1902 on a site east of Lyndalyn Street.  About 1923 it became inactive and was torn down by Will Freeman.  The money he received from the sale of the lumber was given to the Lancaster Methodist Church, Lancaster, Texas, according to Malcolm Hamm, a long time resident of DeSoto, and one of the eight founding families of FUMC DeSoto.  Mr. Hamm taught a Sunday School Class in this church at the age of sixteen. When the census was taken to find Methodist families in this area and a building program made plans to construct a Methodist Church on Belt Line Road the Lancaster Methodist Church returned the money, about $100, to the DeSoto congregation. 

There had not been a Methodist Church in DeSoto from 1923 until 1948.  During July 1948,  the census was taken to find Methodist families in the area, and that led to an organizational meeting was held in the Belt Line School cafeteria in August 1948.  The Rev. Charles Schneeberger from Kansas, a ministerial student at Southern Methodist University was appointed pastor.  The first service was held at the Belt Line School in September 1948. 

Our church’s early history is identified with the following families: Malcolm Hamm, C.H. Estes, Herschel Voorhies, J.C. Porter, Lynn Smiley, Vernie Shelby, George Young, W.C.Mitchell, Everett Davis, James and Marie Gibson and Mrs. Opal Chapman.  Mr. Hamm reported that they had 35 members in all.

This new congregation quickly set out to build itself a church building on land was given by Mr. & Mrs. John Carrell. Work began on the DeSoto Methodist Church, which was built mostly by the members, and was completed in December 1948. The construction of a second phase of the building program was begun in 1954 with most of the work done by volunteer members.  Charley Bailey, a local carpenter, was overseer for the construction. The original debt of $10,000 was liquidated at that time.  The first service in the new sanctuary on Belt Line Road was in 1954.  It was a dedication service for the original structure and a note-burning ceremony of the old mortgage. 

Beginning in 1948 the church has had nine student ministers.  After Rev. Schneeberger, the student ministers were Walter Grist, Jack Gray, Brown Higginbotham, Bob Shirley, Larry Eaton, Norman Lindholm, Bob Aycock and Ed Sylvest. 

 The first full time minister was Rev. Delaine Perkins in 1962, who was followed by  these ministers: Robert Shaw, Jimmie Mobley, John Hawkins, Jerry Dellaney, Terry Nelson, Justin Tull, Michael Nichols, Charles Neal,  Donald Barnes,  Bart Smith and John Kay.

With the fulltime minister in 1962, the energetic church also purchased its first parsonage from Everett Davis at 612 Ray Andra. In 1977 the parsonage on Ray Andra was sold and the present home for our ministers was purchased at 548 Bayberry Street.

In the decades of the 50’s and 60’s, the church grew along with the city, and it was soon necessary to seek a larger site and structure. Pete Jenkins was appointed to head the building committee. 

Our slogan was "A Progressing Church with a Growing Fellowship."

·         --The beginning represents dedication and sacrifice.

·         --The Present needed facilities for now.

·         --The Future represents a dream about to come true

 On January 3, 1966 the church sold the original land and building on Belt Line Road for $32,000, and purchased the present church property on Reunion Road and Roaring Springs  for $10,000.  On February 27, 1966 a groundbreaking ceremony was held with Dr. J.M. Connally, District Superintendent presiding, and Rev. Jimmie Mobley, pastor, assisting. 

 On March 3, 1966, the church started construction at the new site, and the new sanctuary was finished in June 1966. That 10,000-square-foot building, which now serves as the education wing of the church, was built at a cost of $83,000.

 In the decade of the 70’s the congregation and the city of DeSoto continued to grow, and in early 1979 church leadership began exploring ways to enhance the future growth of the church. A Building Committee was appointed, with Charles Reed as chairman, with the objective of examining growth of the spiritual aspect of the congregation with the physical facilities being secondary. 

 In 1982, a Church Conference voted to build a sanctuary at the present location and to carry out a Bonding Program, beginning on February 14, 1982. The Building Committee approved production of working drawings for a new sanctuary with seating for 420 at a cost of $400,000.

 The bonding program succeeded in raising the $400,000 for construction which began in early April 1982.  It was 50 percent complete when a fire destroyed the structure at 5 a.m. September 30, 1982.  The cause of the fire was never determined; however, the structure was fully insured. There was no financial setback, but the fire set back the timetable for being in the new sanctuary by Christmas1982.

Out of the ashes, the members vowed to rebuild the unfinished church that burned. Now sights were set on Easter 1983. On Easter Sunday, April 10, 1983-- a year after original construction began--the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary. The next week, on April 17, 1983, the church held a dedication-consecretation service with Bishop John Russell, FUMC DeSoto’s minister, Rev. Michael Nichols and Rev. Justin Tull, and Rev. Bill Willis, former ministers, who served the church during the pre-construction years. During the service, members dedicated the 1966 facility and consecrated the new sanctuary to the glory and work of God.

 The prayer at this time was:

“Eternal God, whose power raised Christ Jesus from the dead, we praise you on this day of celebration for your grace which surrounds us in all of life.  In our plans you have guided us.  In our ministries you have supported us.  When we were laid low by the destruction of this sanctuary, you held us closely to yourself, and now in this day of rejoicing, you are the heart of our joy and the inspiration of our worship.  Let this hour together bind us closer to you and closer to each other.  Strengthen our faith and move us more eagerly into the continuing ministry of Christ, who is your Son.  Amen.”

The new sanctuary finally gave the congregation the worship space it had been seeking; however educational space soon became the new need. The old sanctuary was converted to four classrooms by the installation of folding walls. This enabled FUMC to use the space for classrooms and easily convert it to a fellowship hall.

Between 1986 and 1989, another building committee studied ways to add greatly needed classrooms. Charles Reed was again named the chairperson of the building committee, which launched a building campaign called Share the Dream in 1989. Share the Dream proposed an 18,500-square food classroom and church life center complex behind the sanctuary. The total package would have spent $900,000 for 13 classrooms, music room, kitchen and gymnasium. The campaign fell short of its goals, but money pledged by members was applied toward toward starting the CLC building program five years later.

At a Church Conference on October 9, 1994, the congregation approved building plans for the Church Life Center by a vote of 55 to 5. The building campaign was called “Building for Today and Tomorrow” and sought $506,000 for construction of the new CLC that would meet all requirements of the City of DeSoto and also the Texas Methodist Foundation, which would finance the building.  Speed Fab-Crete of Kennedale was selected to construct the project.

 The Building Committee chaired by Bob Travis and the Building Campaign Committee chaired by Joe Johnson worked diligently to bring the new CLC to reality. A pledge campaign received pledges over three years toward paying for the building. Several obstacles were encountered in trying to fit our plans into city zoning requirements.

On Sunday, November 6, 1994, a groundbreaking ceremony with District Superintendent Dr. Henry Masters, in attendance marked the beginning of expansion. The building was consecrated on August 6, 1995. The congregation retraced 30 years of history by walking through each of the three buildings. During the journey, laity and ministers presented reminders of the sacrifice to build each one. A congregational dinner in the new CLC, musical presentations and ceremonial turning over of the key to the facility was followed by lively pickup basketball competition.

Our Prayer for this Consecration Service was:

 “Almighty and Everlasting God, Ever exalted yet always near; be present with us, gathered together here today to set apart this building in which we are assembled to the honor and glory of your name.

 “Let your spirit descend upon your church that is present with you.  Fill with your love all who shall enter here for learning, playing, fellowship, service and growing in faith.  As they depart from this place, go with them in the peace and power of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

 The church ends 1998 with plans to move forward with continuing improvements to church facilities through a $113,500 capital improvement package approved at a Church Conference in November 1998. The financing will be used to finish the sound proofing and public address system in the CLC, repave the parking lot and update and renovate the sanctuary and education building.

 The church also entered 1999 with a full schedule of observances and special services led by former ministers. At our 50th anniversary celebration on April 11,1999, we have plans to burn at least one of the mortgages on the parsonage, sanctuary, or Church Life Center. Our theme for this campaign is "Live the Dream”.

 The Year of our Lord, 1999 is a year of listening for God's guidance for the future of our work, a year of celebrating and listening. 

 This church began with eight families, a student minister and a budget of $900, with the love of loyal men and women serving our Lord. We now worship in a beautiful sanctuary and have a Church Life Center and an educational building which served as our second sanctuary. We have a seven-member paid staff, our budget approaching $400,000 and our membership over 1,100. May we employ each of these gifts, not to our own selfish ends, but always to God's glory.

 Much of the life and history and tradition of our church is passed on by stories.  Jesus was a master storyteller.  There are rich possibilities for growth in sharing our spiritual journeys with others, especially Bible stories.  As Christians we are called to outreach, this is true Evangelism.  We read in 1 Corinthians 3: 10-14 that "for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

 And it is the nature of  First United Methodist, DeSoto through an ever-expanding ministry and mission opportunities that are the foundation of our church that we are to be participants, not spectators, in our spiritual journey. Our prayer for this journey:

“Eternal God let this celebration of 50 years of faith and service strengthen our faith and move us more eagerly into the continuing ministry of Christ who is your Son. Amen”