First United Methodist Church Richardson

Organized as the Methodist Episcopal Church, south, of Richardson, Texas, in 1886, this congregation was first served by circuit-riding preacher Thomas Jefferson Milam. For its first twelve years, services were held in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1898, the congregation bought one acre on Greenville Avenue from the Houston and Texas Central Railroad and built a white frame church. A parsonage was added in 1912, and a pump organ was purchased in 1916. As membership increased, the small church became inadequate, and final services were held there in April 1924. A new red brick building opened in 1925, and the congregation became a full station in 1932. The church purchased land on Beltline Road in 1954. A Fellowship Hall, used as a temporary sanctuary, and a 22-room educational building opened on April 13, 1958. A new educational building was erected in July 1960, and the sanctuary and administrative offices were dedicated on September 13, 1964. An activities building was completed in 1972 and a chapel in 1982. After the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the congregation took the name First United Methodist Church Richardson. Beginning in the 1960s, it experienced tremendous growth to 6,000 members, acquired additional land, and expanded its campus. In 1999, acreage was purchased on Central Expressway between Beltline and Arapaho Roads. The congregation broke ground on April 18, 2004, and held opening worship at the new campus on March 26, 2006. The church continues to live out the mission of the United Methodist Church.

Richardson, Texas · United States