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History of Kyle Methodist
The following is a brief history of the Kyle United Methodist Church as told by some of its long time members and pastors. These excerpts have been taken from accounts collected for the church’s 100th anniversary, which was held in 1980.
Preface: In the late 1870’s the Methodist in the Kyle area were served by circuit preachers and were meeting northwest of present day Kyle in a community called Mountain City. When it was learned that the new railroad between Austin and San Antonio was not going to pass through Mountain City and the depot was to be built in Kyle, the meetings were moved into the homes of members in the Kyle area. Then in March of 1880, seven months before the town of Kyle organized, the Methodist in Kyle organized into a congregation. This congregation would be part of the Mountain City circuit, the San Marcos District, and the West Texas Conference (now the Southwest Texas Conference).
(Remembrances of Mrs. C.C. Young, born in 1876, moved to Kyle in 1880, and a member of the Kyle Church all her life.)
“The Kyle Church was organized in 1880 by Brother T.S. Garrett… The Baptists had a Seminary here consisting of four large rooms where all four churches held services at that time. They were the first group to build their own church… In two or three years the Methodists followed suit with a building program. A catalog was ordered from the Church Extension Service containing plans… [On September 6, 1886, a sum of $50 was paid for the purchase of two lots and the original church (current sanctuary) was built in 1887.] Sufficient money was obtained to build the outside of the Church, but there was not enough to finish the inside. Colonel Rogers of Austin gave money for the completion of the inside work, but it was not painted…
“Kyle’s first fair was held on Mr. Parke’s river ranch, and it lasted two days… The Methodist ladies served dinner on both of these days…The sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, which was cleared from the meals, was used to paint the church. A cream color was selected and the edges were painted gold…
“The church bell was purchased around 1889. They had to have a number of suppers to pay for it. They selected it from a catalog. The important thing was to get one that would ring more loudly than the Baptist’s bell. It was shipped by freight from Pennsylvania and hung in the church steeple, and everyone was quite happy with it, although the Baptist’s bell was louder. The Methodists were sure that theirs had a sweeter tone! The bell was always tolled when a funeral procession started for the cemetery.
“For two or three years the public schools held classes in the church building…
“At this time there were no women’s organizations. We merely had church services. Then the Epworth League came into existence, and it became a vital influence in the community… The Woman’s Society was organized in 1916 when Brother Rowland was here. The Society was divided into the Home Mission Society, which received about forty percent of the donations, and the Foreign Mission Society, which received sixty percent. Prior to 1916, all the money was used at home. Later the two groups were united and became the Woman’s Missionary Society…
[A parsonage was purchased across the street from the church in the early 1900’s and served until 1916 when it was sold and moved off the lot and a new parsonage was built by Mr. Hubbard.]
“In 1918, there were no retirement homes. The elderly were either cared for by their children or put in the County Poor Farm. Rev. Young, sensing this neglect of the aged, proposed that the church sponsor a home for these forgotten people. He was granted a sabbatical and spent the last two years of his life explaining his program to the various Methodist churches whose contributions made possible the first Home for the Aged, there being no government grants or loans and no retirement income for the residents to apply on their monthly room and board. From this beginning has come the present day retirement homes. After Rev. Young’s death in 1921 the home was changed to the “C.C. Young Memorial Home”…
“One of the great things about our early church was the revival meetings. We usually put up a large tent for these gatherings. Many of our present members came into the church during those meetings…”
(Remembrances of Mrs. C.D. (Laura Belle) Wallace)
“In July 1901, Rev. Graham reported a gracious revival of religion at Kyle with the conversion of 35 in number and 26 additions to the church…
“For many years services were held at the Methodist Church on the first and third Sundays and at the Baptist Church on the second and fourth Sundays of each month with the congregation equally divided between the two denominations. The yearly revivals were attended in the same manner—with the members of both churches participating in all activities for the advancement of the cause… This interchurch attendance and fellowship continued in Kyle until 1946 when about that time both congregations became conscious of the fact that they were each able to support a full time church program. Brother McKay was our first full time pastor. The former pastors had divided their time and efforts between Kyle and Buda or Dripping Springs or in the early days with Keglar Hill…”
(Remembrances of Mr. Charles Young, son of Mrs. C.C. Young and a member since 1922.)
“My first recollection of the Sunday School goes back to about 1914… The entire church building consisted of the sanctuary. Classes were held in various sections, the pupils sitting on the pews and the teacher standing between the pews in front of them. Mrs. Nance’s class was behind the pews in the west wing… She had a sand pile, maybe 3’ x 4’ with 4” sides, for us to play in. I do not recall any lessons but remember the fun we had playing with little talcum powder cans and bottles in the sand…”
[In 1927, Mrs. Wallace initiated the first formal Sunday School program.]
“In 1929, the exterior of the church was brick veneered and a large unpartitioned Sunday School room was added to the rear, the room extending as wide as the sanctuary wings. The classes were separated by portable partitions. That was also about the time that bats took over the church attic, gaining access through the steeple. During the next ten years every effort was made to close them out without success. The odor finally became so acute that the steeple was removed and the roof built over the hole…
“In 1949, during the post-WWII lumber shortage, that limited both the quality and our selection of materials, an 18’ section of the fellowship hall, a kitchen (now the office) and another classroom were added. At the same time the sanctuary and pulpit area were completely remodeled and refinished. Soon after that the new pews and an organ were purchased.
“In 1964 a 6’ addition was made to the fellowship hall and the kitchen and another class room were added. At that time the original unpartitioned classroom was divided into class rooms and rest rooms. During the next 10 years the building was air conditioned and light fixtures, spot lighting and the colored glass windows were installed…”
(Remembrances of Rev. William R. Fleming, serving the Kyle Church from 1950 to 1954.)
“Our Wednesday night prayer meetings there were written up in Methodism’s National Periodical, “The Christian Advocate” edited by Dr. Roy L. Smith, entitled “Prayer Meeting if You Want It.” The United Press and Associated Press picked up the advertisement I had turned in to Turner Harwell for the Hays County Citizen as follows: “Sitters Wanted: To sit on slightly used pews at the First Methodist Church, Kyle, Texas.” It even made the Readers’ Digest.
“One Wednesday evening at Prayer meeting our goal was to have 100 in attendance and we had 98 when Vernon, Roselle and Mills Cox came in after I was engaged in teaching the Bible, and as they walked in, I interrupted the gospel of Matthew to yell, “Hot Dog, we’ve gone over 100…”
(Remembrances of Rev. Myron Ricketts and Rev. Paul Lockey, team pastors serving from 1972 to 1975.)
“Kyle Church was on the cutting edge of ministry in accepting the team ministry concept, sharing a larger ministry with the other parishes of Buda, Driftwood, Dripping Springs, and Lytton Springs… In support of the team ministry concept Kyle Church participated in the combined Sunday evening services with the other parishes… and hosted the combined Church Conferences.
“Kyle Church was a leader as always in Kyle civic affairs… active in Block Parentship, an ecumenical program to improve Kyle Civic Communications… and participated and hosted quarterly ecumenical religious services with all other churches...
“Kyle Church was a center of ministry to the entire area with several programs which touched the lives of all members of the community. The youth program included all Kyle youth and also Dripping Springs… and Vacation Church Schools held every year were so well attended that the building over flowed…
“During the 1972-1975 period, Kyle Jr. High became overcrowded... [and the church] generously opened its Fellowship Hall to classes... and to a variety of civic functions…” [Kyle Church was even recognized by the Southwest Texas Conference for its involvement in community and church affairs.]
(The story continues and you are invited to come and help write the future…)