CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — First United Methodist Church has had three locations in Corpus Christi since the mid 1850’s but their current location is at South Shoreline.
Locals recognize the statue, standing tall, a symbol for the members of this congregation.
“Our founders had a dream back in the 30s and 40s to build this church at this location and I believe I still think it exists today as evidence by the statue out at the front,” Brad Kisner said.
As the chairman of archives and history committee, Kisner told KRIS 6 News that the First United Methodist first opened its doors in 1853, making it the first church in Corpus Christi.
“Through the years there has been lots of different generations of families that have been involved here,” Kisner said. “You can easily find families with four generations involved here or sometimes five generations.”
Deeply rooted in the community. First United Methodist has also impacted Corpus Christi as a whole.
“Trinity towers, Brookdale was done by the church. The church continues to feed the people that are marginal to help seniors who need help. There’s just a merit of ministries that we can talk about that this church continues to come up with and to do in this community,” Kisner explained.
Senior Pastor Pamela Dykehouse has been leading this congregation for 6 years and during that time she’s learned how important it is for the hundreds of members.
“This church was one of the partners in helping to create Metro Ministries for example and Mission of Mercy, the medical ministry,” Dykehouse said. “This church has supported and given birth to things that have a huge impact on the community that’s broader than what you might not realize when you come on a Sunday.”
During today’s anniversary celebration, members looked at the historical displays, paintings, quilts, and other memorabilia.
“Sometimes we don’t think about the past and our ancestors and we’re able to move forward because of where we came from,” Kisner said.
