McAllen church celebrates sense of community at centennial

McALLEN — The feeling of community hasn’t changed much over the years at First United Methodist Church.

Members of the congregation were gearing up this week to celebrate the church’s centennial Sunday at their new 5.5-acre facility at 4200 N. McColl Road. They spoke of the programs that engage their 1,450 members at their pristine, new grounds — but also of the bonds forged at their old church building at the intersection of Main Street and Cedar Avenue, the site of McAllen’s first gymnasium.

The gym was built by the church in 1945 and still stands today, now part of the Horizon Montessori School.

“We originally called it the Community Building,” said long-time member Paul Moffitt. “At the time it was built, there was no gymnasium — even McAllen High School didn’t have a gymnasium until 1948. The community as a whole contributed money to the construction of that building, and we dedicated it to the use of the community.”

Today, the church continues to serve the community with its multi-use athletic fields and basketball courts, as well as with its day care program and selection of classes available for parents and others.

Congregants said the church has remained true to its century-long mission to help those in need, both locally and beyond, when they have the financial resources to do so.

The church operates a program to help needy local families with home construction projects every year and runs a youth mission service project every summer. Over the years, the congregation has sent mission groups to Honduras and — after Hurricane Katrina — to New Orleans.

Starting in January, church youth will start running a food bank out of the El Paraiso Church in Mission, which serves a large number of families from nearby colonias.

“It’s a message of the United Methodist Church: Open hearts, open doors, open minds,” said Ricky Sanderford, who took over as senior pastor just five months ago. “I think this is a congregation that cherishes the past and embraces the future.”

The church moved to its new, $4.5 million facility in 2002 after the congregation steadily grew throughout the 1990s under the Rev. Robert Schnaze, who was elevated to bishop about five years ago.

Moving into a new building “is a major cultural shift that you could say is very risky in many ways in terms of people who don’t want to let go of the past,” said Wayne Johnson, a new member who moved to the area from El Paso four years ago with his wife, Alma.

“I think this congregation has been very adventurous in that sense and has been embracing change and looking to the future.”

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Nick Pipitone covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.

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IF YOU GO

>> What: The congregation of First United Methodist Church will celebrate the church’s past with a worship service and other activities.

>> When: The service will start at 10:45 a.m. Sunday and will be led by Bishop Jim Dorff, who presides over South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley for the United Methodist Church.

>> Where: First United Methodist Church, 4200 N. McColl Road, McAllen. The service will be in the church’s gymnasium, which doubles as its sanctuary for the time being.

>> More info: The service will be followed by a church get-together outside where members can look through scrapbooks of pictures of the church through the years assembled by Marilyn Moffit, a member for 79 years.