A group of residents assembled in their homes marked the start of present-day Magnolia United Methodist Church nearly two centuries ago. Residents gathered as early as March 1838 to start the church, according to church records. Circuit riders—traveling ministers appointed to care for congregations within geographic areas—were dispatched from the Tennessee Conference in October 1838 to develop a Methodist church in the present-day Magnolia region, according to “Magnolia Memories,” a history collection by Celeste Graves. Israel Lemuel Gillespie Strickland and Jesse Hard were assigned to the mission. Magnolia UMC celebrated 180 years of ministry with a community festival in April on its campus, located at 419 Commerce St., Magnolia. “It’s not [a] huge [church], but it’s always a real dedicated group of people,” said Denise Lucas, daughter of former pastor Donald Smith, who served in Magnolia from 1967 to 1993.

The early years

Although the church did not receive its first full-time pastor until 1975, Magnolia UMC’s congregation grew throughout the decades, outgrowing old facilities, church members said. From meeting in homes, congregants moved to a one-room building in 1840, located east of FM 1774 on FM 1488. Sermons often spanned two hours, Graves wrote. The church building was moved in 1904 to the church’s present-day parking lot on Commerce Street, and the building was moved again in 1940 across the street to its present location, according to church records. “The old church only held about 100 people,” said Marcy Parker, a longtime church member. Additional meeting spaces were added onto the church to accommodate the growing population, including classrooms, a kitchen and a lobby. Due to the age of these first buildings, the facilities were demolished in 1990, according to church records. However, the existing Family Life Center—with a stage, kitchen, choir room and other amenities—was added in 1988 to provide a larger, multipurpose gathering space. “When we got into the new building, we had an average attendance of about 200 people,” Lucas said. The church campus also features the Springer Fellowship Hall, an office building, a covered pavilion, parsonage, campfire circle, prayer trail, the Serenity Chapel and Magnolia Fitness Center.

Community service

One of the first entities in the Magnolia community, Magnolia UMC has hosted a variety of community events and ministries throughout its 180 years. Although the community has grown tremendously, the church’s roots have held steady, Lucas said. “A lot of the programs are still consistent,” she said. The church offered a prekindergarten program for a time as well as a homemade breakfast for Magnolia ISD graduating seniors and a community bazaar each fall. Until last year, the church also held a rummage sale for many years since the 1960s, Lucas said. The Thanksgiving dinner it continues to host sees a large turnout as well. The Methodist church has also partnered with neighboring churches for events; it has also provided gathering space for community organizations, including Keep Magnolia Beautiful, the Raj Hope Foundation and local Boy Scouts troops, Parker said. “We have a Boy Scout troop that has been here since [we chartered them in] 1974,” she said. “We’ve kept them going continuously.”

Defining characteristics

While the church has had a strong presence in the community, Lucas said its smaller size has distinguished the church in a growing region. “Back in the day when people were starting to move out to Magnolia originally, they liked the quaintness. They were moving to a small town, [and] they wanted a quaint, small church, and we had that,” she said. “During the original boom of people moving out here, we had a large congregation, but that was our attraction was that they were moving to the country, and here was this old, quaint church.” Although Sunday attendance ranges from 80 to 100 individuals, Parker said its membership roll is larger. “Like most smaller churches, it fluctuates. We’ll grow and then people start to move on,” said Sandra Rollins, who has attended the church for about 20 years. “We keep a good core group.” Last year, Mark Welshimer began serving as pastor, marking new leadership for the church. “We’ve seen an uptick in people coming since we’ve got this new minister,” church secretary Susan Rhodes said. “With our new pastor, he’s so enthusiastic and so energetic.”