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History of the Methodist Church

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By 1913 the major Methodist church in the East End was Milby Memorial, formerly Harrisburg, which had entered into the appointment system by 1873. Park Place Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1917, soon followed the Milby church. This particular church, Park Place, history was emblematic of the church growth in the Houston area.

In the East end just south of the city of Houston a suburban community called Park Place had developed. This particular community was not significantly different than the others that had been cultivated as the population of Houston grew. It was however strategically located on the interurban train line between north Houston and Galveston. This made it an ideal day trip for the residents of Houston looking to get away from the city. Which led to an easy migration for the residents of Houston looking to escape the sprawling metropolis of nearly 100,000 people.

The first worship services held in the Park Place community were ecumenical and met under a grove of trees. Then, in 1917 the Methodists began to hold separate services and formed their own Missionary Society under the Houston District Woman’s Missionary Society. This group continued to worship together and as the family of faith grew they began raising money for a church building. The first home of Park Place Methodist Episcopal Church, South was built on a donated lot in 1921 at the corner of Broadway and Park Place Boulevard. The membership in 1925 was one hundred and fifty members.

The church continued to grow and in 1938 the pastor, A.A. Tharp, appointed a building committee to create a home for the expanding congregation. In 1941 the sanctuary opened with five hundred people in attendance. It was at this time that the beloved...

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...nnual Session. Beaumont: Plummer-American Printing Company, 1948.

Thrall, Homer S. History of Methodism in Texas. Houston: E. H. Cushing, 1872.

unknown. HISTORY OF THE GERTRUDE WATSON CLASS. Edited by Stored in Park Place History Box Servants of Christ UMC Attic. Houston, Texas: PARK PLACE M. E. CHURCH SCHOOL, 1944.

—. This is Your Church 1946-47. Houston, Texas: Park Place Methodist Church, 1947.

Vernon, Walter N., Robert W. Sledge, Robert C. Monk and Norman W. Spellman. The Methodist Excitement in Texas. Dallas, Texas: The Texas United Methodist Historical Society c/o Bridwell Library, SMU, 1984.

West, C. A., ed. TEXAS CONFERENCE METHODISM ON THE MARCH 1814-1960. Nashville, Tennessee: The Partenon Press, 1960.

Young, Stephen O. A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON TEXAS:FROM ITS FOUNDING IN 1836 TO THE YEAR 1912. Houston, Texas: Rein and Sons, 1912.
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