BDUMC HISTORY
THE BEGINNING
In October 1958 Rev. J. Daniel Barron, District
Superintendent of the Methodist Church, announced that two new Methodist
Churches would be established in Wichita Falls, TX. The Churches would be
Beverly Drive Methodist, which would be erected at South Beverly and Lela Lane
in the Wichita Gardens section of town, and the Methodist Mexican Mission, which
would occupy the vacated Adams Street Methodist at Fifth and Adams Street. (Now
Fifth and Martin Luther King Blvd)
The Adams Street congregation disbanded because of the population shift in that
area. Some of their members had moved to other parts of town and were driving 10
miles or more each Sunday for services.
Special Services were held on Sunday October 27, 1958 at 3 pm for the formal
dedication of the Adams Street Methodist and donation of the building to the Rio
Grande Conference of the Methodist Church. The Rio Grande Conference was
composed of Spanish speaking Methodists in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Assisted by Rev. James N. Johnson, Adams Street pastor, Rev. Barron performed
the Dedication Service prior to the Donation Ceremonies. Dr. A. M. Gomez,
Superintendent of the Northern district of the Rio Grande Conference, accepted
the $40,000 Adams Street plant which was established in 1926.
Rev. James N. Johnson was named pastor of the new Beverly Drive Methodist by the
North Texas Conference of the Methodist Church. With many of the Adams Street
congregation in attendance, the Beverly Drive church held its first
organizational meeting on Sunday, November 2, 1958 at the City View School where
services were held until the first unit of Beverly Drive Methodist was
completed. During the next year their membership would grow from 38 to just over
100. The Evangelism Committee was determined to make it 150 members in 1959.
In mid-October, 1959 a contract was awarded to Curtis W. Taylor to erect the
first unit of the master plan for Beverly Drive Methodist Church. The architects
were Pardue and Read, Architects and Engineers. The building would be of brick,
providing temporary sanctuary and classroom facilities at an estimated cost of
$40,000.
Ground-breaking ceremonies were conducted on Sunday afternoon, October 22, 1959
and work began to bring the hopes and prayers of the congregation to fruition.
Members of the Building Committee were; Claude Draper, chairman; Don Yokley,
Treasurer; Roma Yokley, Secretary; Lonnie Hamlin, Bill McCombs, James Keen,
Louis Parks, Melvin Norris, Dick Wood, Dean Coats, George Briley, and George
Stogner.