First United Methodist Church, Cleburne

Methodism began in Johnson County during the 1850s, when Simeon Odem (Odom) held camp meetings near Grandview, and Rev. Jeremiah Easterwood is credited with holding the first Methodist service in the area that later became Cleburne in 1852. A Methodist church was organized about 1869, and Mr. and Mrs. B.J. Chambers donated three lots in block 13 of Cleburne for construction of Cleburne Methodist Episcopal Church, South, two years after the town's founding. Although the cornerstone was laid in 1869, the congregation used the unfinished building for several years. Parts of the original structure were later moved by horsedrawn vehicles to Main and Brown streets, where a new building was erected in 1902, and the church then took the name Main Street Methodist Church. In 1966, the congregation purchased land at Westhill Drive and Colonial Avenue, where a new church structure was consecrated, and in 1968 the church became known as First United Methodist Church. After the 1966 building was destroyed by fire in 1976, a new structure was completed in 1978. Throughout its history, the congregation has emphasized ministry to the Cleburne community through outreach activities, including affiliation with Boy Scout troops as early as the 1950s and donations of school supplies, food, clothing, toys, newspaper coupons, and canned-goods labels for charitable use. Today, First United Methodist Church, Cleburne, remains a spiritual leader within the community.

Cleburne, Texas · United States