Ever hear of a brush arbor?” Few have, but this “temporary” place of Methodist worship, built in 1916, met the small congregation’s need. Complete with wooden corner posts, palmetto leaves overhead, sawdust on the floor and hard, wooden benches, the arbor, finally weathered in, served Conroe Methodists for nearly a year.
The building located at the corner of Main and Phillips, known as the “second sanctuary” was completed in 1917 at a cost of $11,208.14. In spite of a temporary attendance setback due to an epidemic of Spanish influenza, membership of Conroe Methodist Church grew to 400, with 250 enrolled in Sunday School.
In July 1941, the cornerstone of the third sanctuary rested on the same site, accommodating the building to be completed that December. The old church facility served as an educational building for several years until damaged by a storm. During this period Sunday School classes met in various nearby locations.
A memorable event took place in 1965 when a long dreamed of extended, three-unit building, with all the related improvements, became a reality. Two years later another far more extensive, yet unrelated event occurred with the unification of Methodists and Evangelical Brethren -- now the United Methodist Church.
It is obvious that the history of First United Methodist Church in Conroe is not complete. With the dedication of the current facility in November 2000, there appeared a new, enlarged era of service in which the doors are opened wide to all who come. Correspondingly, never in the history of the church has there been more urgent need for its stabilizing, strengthening influence and its spiritual guidance.
Lest we forget.... the history of our modest beginnings is not the story of any one group of people (albeit “laborers with God”), nor is it the mere recounting of properties and edifices. It is, indeed, the chronicle of a great movement, of service, of worship, all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
