First United Methodist Church of Katy
Katy, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation traces its history to 1898, when a group of Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Methodists organized a Union Sunday School in the home of Willard James. Sometimes about 1900, the Methodists formed a separate fellowship. The Rev. M. L. Lindsey, first pastor appointed to this congregation, also served other Methodist churches on the Houston circuit. He was assisted by several of the early families of the church, including those of W. P. Bowers, J. E. Cabiness, E. M. Morton, and T. G. Roberts. Lay members held worship services during the early years when the minister could not attend every sunday. In 1903, land was secured from W. E. and R. M. Cash and from L. C. Luckel, and the foundation for a frame church building was laid. The Methodist sanctuary was completed in 1904, during the pastorate of the Rev. E. W. Potter, and was the first church building constructed in the town of Katy. It served the congregation until 1938, when a new sanctuary was built. The current structure was completed in 1961. Throughout its history, the First United Methodist Church of Katy has provided significant service and leadership to the community. The congregation continues to reflect the ideals and traditions of its founders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the last years of the nineteenth century, settlers on the Texas coastal prairie west of Houston gathered across denominational lines—Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Disciples of Christ—for a Union Sunday School in a neighbor's parlor. Around 1900 the Methodists organized their own fellowship, and in 1904 they raised the first church building in the young town of Katy. Successive sanctuaries built in 1938 and 1961 traced the congregation's growth alongside the community it anchored.
Why it matters
The tale of a frontier crossroads where scattered families pooled their faith before any single church existed shows how shared worship helped knit together the small towns of settling Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. M. L. Lindsey
- · Rev. E. W. Potter
- · Willard James
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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