First Methodist Church of Azle
Azle, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. Will A. Stephens and 15 charter members organized this church in 1895, then purchased a church building from the United Brethren Church and secured a parsonage. Sunday school classes began in 1930. The church called its first full-time Minister in 1942, and by 1946 membership had more than doubled. An education building was erected in 1949-51 and new brick sanctuary was built in 1960. The congregation was renamed First United Methodist Church in 1968, following the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist denominations. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Rev. Will A. Stephens and fifteen charter members organized this Methodist congregation in 1895, buying a building from the United Brethren Church and securing a parsonage. The church called its first full-time minister in 1942, and membership more than doubled by 1946, prompting a new education building and a brick sanctuary. A 1968 denominational merger gave it the name First United Methodist Church.
Why it matters
The congregation's growth mirrors the steady maturing of small-town Tarrant County across the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Will A. Stephens
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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