Give Online · Pledge Online · Church Life · Events · eNews Signup

Menu

History

Historical Image Gallery

The slideshow below captures memories across decades of First Church including church leaders, different buildings, and multiple renovations. Enjoy your tour!

Republic of Texas

The Republic of Texas was created on March 2, 1836.

Sam Houston

Sam Houston was elected President of the Republic on October 22, 1836. He would be re-elected in 1841, after a term served by Mirabeau B. Lamar.

Mirabeau B. Lamar

On December 10, 1838, Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected second President.

Rev. John Haynie

One year later, in 1839, Rev. John Haynie was appointed to Austin, then called Waterloo, as a circuit rider for Methodism. Rev. Haynie would later be appointed as Chaplain of the Texas House of Representatives.

First Methodist Society

John Haynie organized the first Methodist society, which met in a log home like this one, south of Wooldridge Park and west of the Austin Public Library.

Josiah Whipple

Josiah Whipple was assigned to replace Rev. John Haynie in 1841. With increased raids by Comanche Indians, Austin and Methodism in Texas did not grow much.

Rev. Homer Thrall

After several years of Methodist dormancy, Rev. Homer Thrall was assigned to Austin in 1845, the same year Texas was annexed by the United States. The church moved into a new building at Congress and Cedar (4th Street) and was known as the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

Rev. John Wesley Phillips

From 1852-1854 Rev. John Wesley Phillips served as pastor.

Medical Society

In 1853, 35 doctors gathered at the Methodist Episcopal Church South to establish the Texas State Medical Society (now the Texas Medical Association).

Congress Avenue

This picture taken of Congress Avenue in 1919 shows the 10th street Methodist Church in the upper left corner.

Rev. A. E. Goodwin

Under Rev. A. E. Goodwin, 1882-86, funds were raised for a new building to replace the red brick church.

Red Brick Building

In 1853, the Methodists sold their building to the Christian Church and purchased a red brick building at Mulberry (10th Street) and Brazos.

Roman Style Church

Under Rev Goodwin, the new church was built in Roman Style and called the Central Methodist Church, then changed to the 10th Street Methodist Church, and later, First Methodist Church.

Choir Chambers

Choir chambers in 1883.    

Rev. E. R. Barcus

In 1923, under Rev. E. R. Barcus, the congregation broke ground on a new church at the corner of Colorado and 12th Streets, FUMC’s current location.

New Church

On December 1, 1923, the First Methodist Church held its first service in the new building. The building to its right was the parsonage.

Rev. W. F. Bryan

In 1928 under Rev. W. F. Bryan, the upper structure of the First Methodist Church was finished.

Upper Structure Complete

In 1928 under Rev. W. F. Bryan, the upper structure of the First Methodist Church was finished.

Front View

Front view of the Neoclassical-style church we worship in today.

New Sanctuary

The new sanctuary utilized the benches and organ pipes from the 10th Street Church.

Cornerstone

The 1923 cornerstone resides on the Northeast corner, on Colorado.

Rev. Marvin S. Vance

In 1952, under Rev. Marvin S. Vance, the current education building was built.

Rev. R. S. Tate Jr.

In 1968, under Rev. R. S. Tate Jr., work began on the restoration of the church building. Also same year, the Methodist Church united with Evangelical United Brethren to become First United Methodist Church.

Rev. J. D. Heacock

Under Rev. J. D. Heacock, in September 1977, First Church purchased the parking lot north of the education building.

Historical Marker

In 1978, Rev. Bruno Schmidt worked with the Austin Historical Society to place a historical marker at the church’s second location, corner of 4th and Congress (Frost Bank).

Historical Marker

Another historical marker was placed at 10th and Brazos (Thomas Jefferson Rusk State Building).

Oetting Building

In 1985, the Oetting building (furniture store) on the corner of Lavaca and 13th Streets was purchased and remodeled to accommodate a larger congregation.

Rev. John McMullen

During the term of Rev. John McMullen (1994-2010), the Oetting Building was partially torn down and rebuilt into the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center.

Family Life Center

The Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center building was dedicated on April 19, 1998.

Garrison Chapel

Also in the early 1990s, during Pastor John Gilbert’s term, the Chapel was renovated with funds from Bill and Mary Murchison, the Chapel’s namesake.

Chapel Before

Chapel After

Stained Glass

Lon and Shirley Brooks gave the church two stained glass windows that had hung in the old 10th Street Methodist Church. This window is at entrance of church office.

Stained Glass

This window hangs in the door of the Bruno Schmidt History Center just off the Narthex

Rev. Barbara Ruth and Rev. John Wright

Under the leadership of FUMC’s pastors, wife and husband team Rev. Barbara Ruth and Rev. John Wright, the church remodeled Wesley Hall where the original church services were held from 1923-28.

Wesley Hall Before

Second story balcony rail uncovered during renovations of Wesley Hall, which had been the original sanctuary.

Wesley Hall After

Second story balcony rail uncovered during renovations of Wesley Hall, which had been the original sanctuary.

Rev. Taylor Fuerst

In July 2016, Rev. Taylor Fuerst joined FUMC as Senior Pastor. In 2017, Pastor Fuerst led efforts to reexamine “Who We Are” as a church and redefine the mission statement: “First United Methodist Church exists to build a community where all people are invited to know God’s love and sent to join God in transforming the world.”

Path to Marriage Equality

First United Methodist Church of Austin went through a churchwide discernment process about marriage equality. On Sunday, July 14, 2019, the congregation of FUMC, declared by an affirmative vote of 98 percent, that its facilities were now available to all couples seeking the blessing of marriage, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and that this congregation will support its pastors who officiate a wedding for a same-sex couple.

The Story Of First Church

First United Methodist Church (“First Church”) is a leader in progressive religion, promoting access and rights for all persons to know God’s love and sent to join God in transforming the world. The history of First Church is as colorful as the city it serves. We are older than the State of Texas and the longest-standing Methodist Church west of the Mississippi River.

The Beginnings

To view an infographic of our history, click here.

It was 1839, and Circuit Rider, Rev. John Haynie from Tennessee, served the area from the town of Bastrop to the city of Austin. Worship was held in a log house built by the men of the community and located south of what is now Wooldridge Park and west of the Austin History Center. As the Republic of Texas was constituted in 1940, Rev. Haynie also served as Chaplain of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas.

Haynie was succeeded in 1841 by the Rev. Josiah Whipple, who preached in the Austin Circuit for two years. Clashes between settlers and the local American Indian tribes made it impossible for the church to continue in an organized fashion from 1843-45.

After conditions improved, the Rev. Homer S. Thrall was appointed to lead the Austin Methodists. He had to regroup the congregation which by this point had scattered. In 1847, a lot was purchased at the northeast corner of Congress and Cedar (now Fourth Street) for $26 and a board and batten church was constructed.

In late 1853, the original church building was sold to the Christian Church, and lots were purchased at the northeast corner of Brazos and Mulberry (now Tenth Street). A small, red-brick church was commenced in 1854 during the pastorate of the Rev. John W. Phillips. This new Methodist Episcopal Church was the worship home to 90 members, including 30 Negro slaves and servants. By 1858, the membership had grown to 231 members, including 135 slaves. After emancipation, many freed slaves left the church to form Wesley Chapel Methodist Church.

The Austin congregation worshiped in the red-brick building until 1883 when, under the leadership of the Rev. A.E. Goodwyn, it was razed and replaced by a steepled structure built in the Roman style of architecture.

It was in 1892, during the pastorate of the Rev. R.J. Briggs, that the church reached its peak 19th-century membership of 675. For a time, the church was called Central Church South; later it was referred to as Tenth Street Church until 1902, when it officially became the First Methodist Church.

In 1923, the First Methodist Church constructed what is now the basement of the present structure at Twelfth and Lavaca Streets. Built during the four-year pastorate of the Rev. Edward R. Barcus, the upper portion of the main building was completed in 1928 under Rev. W.F. Bryan was pastor. Total cost was $200,000.

After the Annual Conference of 1940, nine years of dynamic growth began for the church with the appointment of the Rev. W. Kenneth Pope. Progress included the addition of a church library, the beginning of radio broadcasts on KTBC and, in 1946, the burning of the mortgage notes of the sanctuary building. Also during Pope’s pastorate, the parsonage north of the main building was converted into an education building, and the Popes moved into a new parsonage in Pemberton Heights.

Growth continued and in 1951 the congregation unanimously approved the erection of a new education building under the pastorate of the Rev. Marvin S. Vance.

Throughout the mid-50s First Methodist began experiencing some of the problems confronting downtown churches throughout the country. As the population moved away from the inner city, neighborhood churches flourished while downtown churches saw gradual declines in membership and attendance.

Despite the challenges in attracting people downtown, First Church remained vibrant and continued to expand its facilities in subsequent decades. In 1962, the lower floor of the main building was remodeled to make room for a new nursery and childcare center. New kitchen facilities were also built. Remodeling in 1968 created new staff offices among other improvements.

In 1971, through the inspiration of members H. W. “Woody” Wilson and Stan Lambert, an Endowment Fund was established. That endowment has continued to grow, and investment provides annual revenue for facility improvements even now.

Under the leadership of the Rev. Jack Heacock in 1977, First Church voted to purchase the north parking lot. The church created the preschool and developed new classes on Sundays and during the week. Thousands of Central Texas television viewers watched the church services on live television. In 1985, the church purchased the Oetting furniture building located at the northwest corner of Thirteenth Street and Lavaca Street, cater-corner to the Sanctuary building.

In the spring of 1990, during the pastorate of the Rev John C. Gilbert, the church celebrated its sesquicentennial with “Jubilee 150.” Gilbert also led the church in the innovative remodeling of the Chapel.

Gilbert was succeeded by Rev. John McMullen in 1994. McMullen served as Senior Pastor for 17 years and oversaw the construction of the newest addition to the FUMC campus – a 22,602 square foot, two-story family life center which houses almost a dozen Sunday school classrooms, full gym with basketball courts and a commercial kitchen. Named after Bruno Schmidt and Kathleen Jones, two long-standing and beloved assistant pastors and educators, the building was dedicated in 1998.

In 2010, the Southwest Texas Conference appointed Barbara Ruth and John Wright, the church’s first clergy couple, as FUMC Co-Pastors. During John and Barbara’s tenure FUMC restructured the church’s finances and renovated Wesley Hall, exposing the early balustrades of the original two-story sanctuary.

They also lead the congregation through its affirmative vote to become a member of Reconciling Ministries that seeks to include people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in the policy and practice of the United Methodist Church. FUMC was unable to fully implement this policy, however, because of contradictions with the Book of Discipline.

In 2016, Rev. Taylor Fuerst joined FUMC as only the second female Senior Pastor and continues the work of equality started by her predecessors. In the summer of 2019, the congregation of FUMC, in light of recent denominational actions that double-down on discrimination, declared by an overwhelming majority the church’s intent to host, and support its pastors in officiating, the blessing of marriage for same sex couples. While the United Methodist Church continues to negotiate a way forward, FUMC stands firmly on the side of justice and inclusion.