This Week in Texas Methodist History April 26

Galveston Methodists Celebrate Centennial, April 20-27, 1941

Many churches celebrate special anniversaries.  It has been my privilege to participate in centennials, sesquicentennials, and even several 175^th celebrations.  By the way, there is less consensus about what to call the 175^th---here are some of the contenders for the name Dodransbicentennial, Dequasbicentennial, Dosquicentennial, Demisemiseptcentennial, Septaquintaquinque-
centennial, and Terquasquicentennial.

Galveston Methodists spent the week of April 20-27 celebrating their centennial with a week of distinguished speakers,   Unfortunately the celebrations were marred by torrential rains. 

Bishop Ivan Lee Holt preached twice on Sunday, April 20.  Monday night Bishop Hiram Boaz preached.  Tuesday night was devoted to a reading of the history of the first 100 years of Methodism in Galveston.  On Wednesday night Bishop John M. Moore preached.  Regular readers of this column will remember that that Bishop Moore was retired, but had been called back into service as Editor of the Southwestern Christian Advocate. 

The rains started Wednesday, and by worship time on Wednesday night the streets were flooded.  Attendance was only 100 brave souls.  The celebration ended on Sunday the 27^th with Bishop C. C. Selecman preaching at both services. 

Galveston’s Methodist history is full of twists and turns.  As the most important port in the Republic of Texas,  many immigrants, including Methodists came through the city.  On the other  hand,  it was difficult to establish a self-sustaining congregation.  Coastal cities experienced epidemic disease more often than inland settlements, and many arrivals left Galveston as soon as they could afford to.    In its earliest days, Galveston and Houston were on a circuit.  Neither city was able to support a station church,.  When a church was finally built, it was financed in part by the generosity of William Ryland, well known as Chaplain of the U. S. Senate.  The donation had been solicited by Thomas O. Summers, pastor at Galveston who conducted a grand fund raising tour in the United State.  The church was named Ryland Chapel in the donor’s honor.

Ryland Chapel could not survive the vicissitudes of Reconstruction, and the building was occupied by an African American congregation.  The MECS reorganized and built St. John’s which was dedicated by Bishop Marvin in 1871.  Just two years later, in 1873, St. James was organized mainly through the efforts of David Ayres, to serve the expanding population.  St. James really flourished, and three of its pastors (Mouzon, DuBose, and Ward) were later elected bishop. 

In 1886 a third MECS church (West End) was organized, making Galveston one of the few cities to have 3 MECS churches. 

The 1900 storm destroyed so much property and cost so many lives that St. John’s and St. James decided to merge.   A new name was chosen—Central (later changed to First Methodist).  The building was completed under the pastorate of Seth Ward at a cost of $40,000.  It was this building in which the centennial was celebrated. 

Galveston played the central role in Texas Methodist publishing from the 1850s through the 1880s when the Advocate was relocated to Dallas.  Galveston had the book store/printing office/editorial offices of the Advocate.   One of the Galveston pastors or the Presiding Elder served as Editor.  Galveston had by far the most important communications network in Texas, thanks to its primacy as the state’s main cotton market.  Those same communication links, mainly to New Orleans, which served the cotton markets, also carried church news.  The book store did a large mail order business, and could serve its customers via the extensive rail network that converged on the port facilities. 

First Methodist was eventually relocated and its name was changed to Moody Memorial.