This Week in Texas Methodist History November 24

George Morelock Speaks to 300 Men at First Methodist Dallas, November 1945

 It took decades to get  Methodist Men's organizations off the ground.   Women had formed both home and foreign missionary societies in the 19^th century, but an official Methodist Men (today United Methodist Men) was not organized until the mid-twentieth century.  

The current UMM may be traced to the MECS General Conference of 1922 which created a Board of Lay Activities.  George Morelock (1880-1967), lay leader of the Memphis Conference, was selected as its first chief executive.  

In 1924  the   General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church authorized Wesley Brotherhoods. Morelock creates the Methodist Layman, a quarterly magazine for men of that denomination.

In 1928    men of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South created the Joint Committee on Men’s Work, one small step on the way to unification of the MEC and MECS. 

In 1942, after unification, the official name Methodist Men, was adopted. 

Morelock continued as executive through the unification and on the day before Thanksgiving, 1945, came to Dallas from Chicago to address 300 men at First Methodist Dallas.  His speech started with the question “What are you going to do about the Atomic Age?”  His speech talked about the annihilation now possible with the splitting of the atom.  He then offered an alternative to world destruction,  “Band together all the men in First Church and all the other Methodist Churches and all their energies will be bound together to create peace and order.”   Methodist Men, Morelock said, could “overcome the power of Satan with the power of changed lives.” 

 First Church Dallas Methodist Men  had invited Morelock to bring the charter for their newly-organized unit.   Men from other  Dallas churches including Kessler Park and Owenwood also came to be inspired to start their own chapters. 

Morelock retired as executive officer in 1947 and died in 1967,