First United Methodist Church of Pasadena
Pasadena, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A “society” of Methodists was first formed in the area in 1896 in the nearby community of Deepwater. In 1898, seven people organized a Methodist congregation in Pasadena, and the church first met in the town’s one-room schoolhouse. These charter members were Martha H. Knapp Bailey Rawlins, William B. Bailey Sr., William B. Bailey Jr., Katherine Lydia Hogge Bailey, Robert McPherson Guinn, Katie Guinn Weeks and Lydia Zlomke Gigstad. By 1904, the congregation had grown to twenty members and a frame church building was constructed at the corner of South Shaver and Broadway in 1907. As Pasadena shifted from an agrarian community to an industrial one, the town and the Methodist congregation expanded. Additional sanctuaries were built in 1938 and 1955, and the church relocated to Fairmont Parkway in 1986. During its history, First United Methodist Church has served the community by providing food and shelter through the Society of Saint Stephen, and assistance in remodeling and home maintenance through the Levites. The Pasadena Rotary Club has met for a weekly lunch at the church since 1936, and the church has organized two boy scout troops and a girl scout troop. Missionary outreach of the congregation includes regular work in an orphanage in Mexico, contributions to the programs of the Unalaska United Methodist Church in Alaska, and the rebuilding of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Texas City, which was destroyed by fire. More than a century after its establishment, First United Methodist Church continues to serve as a vital spiritual leader for the people of Pasadena.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Methodists first gathered near Pasadena in 1896, and in 1898 seven charter members organized a congregation that met in the town's one-room schoolhouse. As Pasadena grew from a farming community into an industrial city on the Houston Ship Channel, the church grew with it, building successive sanctuaries and relocating to Fairmont Parkway in 1986. Over more than a century it has hosted Rotary and scouting groups and served the needy through its charitable ministries.
Why it matters
This congregation's arc mirrors Pasadena's own transformation from agrarian village to petrochemical hub, showing how a local church can grow into an enduring civic institution.
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