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Organized as the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Richardson, Texas, in 1886, the church was first served by circuit-riding preacher Thomas Jefferson Milam (1843 - 1917). For the first twelve years, services were held in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1898, the congregation bought one acre of land on Greenville Avenue from the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and a white frame church was built. A parsonage was added in 1912, and a pump organ was purchased in 1916. As membership increased, the small church proved inadequate, and final services were held there in April 1924. A new red brick building was opened in 1925, and the congregation became a full station in 1932. The church purchased land on Beltline Road in 1954. A fellowship hall, serving as a temporary sanctuary, and a 22-room educational building were opened on April 13, 1958. A new educational building was erected in July 1960, and the sanctuary and administrative offices were dedicated on September 13, 1964. An activities building was completed in 1972 and a chapel in 1982. With the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the name was changed to First United Methodist Church Richardson. The church experienced tremendous growth beginning in the 1960s, growing to 6,000 members. Additional land was acquired over the years and the campus was expanded. In 1999, acreage was purchased on Central Expressway between Beltline and Arapaho roads. The congregation broke ground on April 18, 2004 and held opening worship at the new campus on March, 26, 2006. The church continues to live out the mission of the United Methodist Church. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 |
