This Week in Texas Methodist History February 19 HOmecoing at First Methodist Dallas Features Former Pastors February 1935 Although we usually associate homecoming with high schools and universities, churches sometimes celebrate them too. Although many church homecomingings are scheduled to coincide with a particular anniversary such as the centennials, they may be held at any time and any interval. Some churches even have annual homecomings. In February 1935 First Methdoist Dallas held a homecoming and invited its former pastors back for the event. Those who showed up were Bishop John M. Moore, S. H. Bergin, John R. Allen, Herbert Knickerbocker, and W. D. Bradfield. C. C. Selecman was confined at home and did not attend. No reason was given for the absence of the other three living pastors, Bishop Sam Hay, New Harris, and J. Abner Sage. The pastor in charge was W. C. Martin (later bishop) who gave a brief devotional rather than a full sermon. First Dallas was still enjoying its new sanctuary, just nine years old at the time. Like many Texas churches, it had incurred significant debt during the boom time of the 1920s to build a new sanctuary. It was not struggling to make payments on the building loan now that the Great Depression had hit. As a matter of fact during this same time First Methodist Dallas was in the process of refinancing its debt because of the financial struggles. Dallas was actually in better shape than many Texas cities during the Depression. As the East Texas Oil Field was being developed, Dallas became the maini banking center financing the drillers, equipment manufacturers, and downstream indusries. As times got hard in rural Texas, migrants from all over Texas came to Dallas looking for work. W. C. Martin reported that in the 9 years the new church had been open, it had received 3229 new members. In Februrary 1935 it reported 3500 members. That speaks volumes about the transit population of Dallas---the numbers should not have been so close to each other. The debt was eventually paid off in the 1940s.