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The Rev. Alton T. White, pastor at nearby Calallen, met with Methodists in the Bishop town hall to organize a Methodist Episcopal Church on November 12, 1911. Mrs. B. G. Bishop, Mrs. J. B. Butts, J. H. Herron, Mrs. Althea McClane, Mr. and Mrs. Reinhold Moser, Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Starrett, and Maude and Blanche Starrett were among the charter members. The congregation received the Rev. P. L. Pyle as its first pastor. In 1912, with fewer than 50 members, they set up a building program with L. E. Appleby, Mrs. F. Z. Bishop, J. H. Herron and R. Moser as the building committee. Though city founder F. Z. Bishop gave town lots for each denomination, the building committee agreed that the designated Methodist church lot was too far from the central business district. They exchanged the land for lots just south of Main Street. The groundbreaking took place in December 1912. The church was free of debt within nine years despite the ravages of drought and hurricane. A new building fund committee began its work in 1952. Two years later, church trustees bought a block of property facing Sixth Street on the north side. A large part of the land was a gift from church members in honor of their parents. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on October 27, 1955. The erection of the new edifice took more than a year to complete and included a sanctuary with a seating capacity of more than 400. By the end of 1966, membership had reached 586. The new building was declared free of debt and dedicated on December 14, 1969. The First United Methodist Church of Bishop continues in the traditions of its founders with programs of service and worship. (2000) |
