Special worship service and church-wide potluck planned for April 19
(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – April 13, 2015) This year the First United Methodist Church of Heath is celebrating its 125 birthday beginning Sunday, April 19 with one worship service at 11am and a church-wide potluck afterward in Fletcher Hall.
The church had its beginning as the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which was founded in 1890 and stood on the southeast corner of FM 740 and FM 1140 (Smirl Drive). The congregation and the church building moved to Heath between 1909 and 1910, and the original building was replaced in 1916. Circuit-riding ministers served the members for many years.
In 1974, the church moved on to a 6.2 acre lot into a temporary building (fondly known as the double-wide) that was sold to the church by Church Extension, and came from the New World United Methodist Church. The Conference also assisted in the purchase of a parsonage on Terry Lane in Heath. In 1981, the Conference again gave financial assistance so the church could have a full time pastor. After the church received a substantial cash gift in 1997, plans were started for a new facility which included four classrooms, two offices, a parlor, and a sanctuary.
On May 23, 1999, a consecration ceremony welcomed the community and members to celebrate the new structure. With a larger facility, the church’s ministries began to expand not only in the immediate area but also beyond the local community through youth mission trips, Relay for Life, Lil’ Voyagers Mother’s Day Out, mission trips to Africa, Amigos Days, and Boy Scouts.
With this mission growth, along with the development in the area, it was determined that additional space was needed. So in 2005 plans to increase the existing facility began which included a kitchen, twelve classrooms, a suite of offices, and a fellowship hall. The facility now measures 29,322 square feet. Furthermore, the programs, including those previously mentioned, are the Genesis Women’s Shelter, Honduras mission trips with the Men of Honor, One Man’s Treasure, and The Bridge.
Submitted by Carla Brooks.
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