St. Paul's United Methodist Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (May 2007) |
St. Paul's United Methodist Church is a congregation of the United Methodist Church located in Houston, Texas in the city's Museum District. The current senior minister of the church is Dr. L. James "Jim" Bankston. St. Paul's is known for its traditional style of worship as embodied by its renowned choir. The church's building is located at 5501 South Main, Houston, Texas 77004.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1905-1918: From Dream to Reality
St. Paul's was conceived as an act of gratitude. As an offering to God after her recovery from a serious illness in 1903, Mrs. J.O. Ross (Ellen) contributed lots on the corner of Milam and McGowen Streets for the establishment of a new Methodist church, in what was then known as the "South End" of Houston.
In December 1905, a group of men met in the Ross home to form the official board of the new church. The first worship service was held in the old Auditorium at the corner of Main and McGowen on Christmas Eve 1905. Bishop Joseph S. Key, preaching to 1,000 people in the old Auditorium, formally constituted the new church, with 153 charter members, on January 14, 1906. Recognizing that "South End" might someday become inappropriate, Bishop Key suggested the name "St. Paul's." The Charter rolls were held open and the charter membership increased to 254.
In the first years, worship services were held in a small frame building in the Ross's yard, known as Good Fellowship Chapel.
St. Paul's opened its first building on Milam and McGowen on January 31, 1909 - The architecture was Grecian, with a dome in Byzantine style. The membership had reached 600. The building was finally dedicated in 1918, when the building debt was paid. [1]
[edit] 1927-1930: A Brand-new Building
After much growth it was determined that expansion was not feasible, so the Milam/McGowen property was sold to Second Baptist Church in 1927. Land was purchased from the Hermann estate for the present building at Main and Calumet. The architect chosen was Jess Jones' protégé Alfred C. Finn, who would gain fame as the designer of the San Jacinto Monument, the Gulf Building, the Cullen Building at the University of Houston, and the Coliseum and Music Hall. Groundbreaking took place in April 1929. During construction, the congregation met at Temple Beth Israel and the old San Jacinto High School, both now a part of Houston Community College.
The first worship service was held in the new English Gothic style building on November 2, 1930. Membership in those years had reached almost 1,700.
[edit] 1930s-1940s: Years Of Struggle And Growth
Soon after the new building was completed, the great Depression arrived in Houston, bringing difficult times to St. Paul's.
The congregation worked for the next 20 years to pay off its building debt. Funds were often so tight that if any other buyer could have been found for the massive, elegant structure, the mortgage holder might have foreclosed.
But the people of St. Paul's persevered. Through all the years of financial struggle, the congregation continued to grow in membership and to support a full range of programs and activities. Finally, in November 1951, the debt was retired and the building dedicated. [2]
[edit] 1950s-1960s: Today's Church Takes Shape
St. Paul's Church flourished throughout the 1950s and 60s. The active congregation gained city-wide recognition for ministries such as the Coffee Club, one of Houston's first and most successful church singles programs. The Jones Youth Building, designed by St. Paul's member David Baer, was completed in 1958, built on land given by Jesse H. Jones and his foundation, the Houston Endowment.
The St. Paul's Methodist Foundation of Houston was established in 1960 as a permanent endowment to provide the church with a solid financial base. In 1963, an additional lot was purchased at Fannin and Calumet for use as a parking area.
[edit] 1970s-1980s: Serving The Community
As the neighborhood around St. Paul's changed, the congregation realized that its central urban location provided an ideal opportunity to serve the wide variety of people in the community through children's programs, music and outreach. The weekday Mother's Day Out became a full-fledged nursery school in 1973, and under Zane Ann Tigett's direction later grew into St. Paul's School, the first pre-school in Houston accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
In 1980, Organist/Choirmaster Robert Brewer joined Frances Anderson to lead St. Paul's Choir, now an acclaimed 75-voice ensemble that has often sung at Westminster Abbey. In 1981, David Farnsworth donated a 76-rank Schantz pipe organ. In 1983, a tiny, dedicated group of St. Paul's members who started out years before making sandwiches on a desktop became the Emergency Aid Coalition, now a nondenominational organization of over a dozen midtown congregations. It serves thousands of needy clients a year through the Food Pantry, Main Street Clothing Center, Operation I.D., and Aid to Families. [3]
[edit] 1990s
Throughout the 80s and 90s, St. Paul's has focused on maintaining and expanding its strongest ministries - namely, music and worship; mission and outreach; and programs for children, youth, and families.
The Jubilee (1980), Now Is The Time (1985), and Cornerstone (1990) capital campaigns funded the Jones Building's Murfee Center, Wilson Prayer Chapel, and Marr Dining Room, as well as extensive renovations and repairs to the Sanctuary Building. Individual gifts permitted the renovation of the tower bells (1995) and the organ (1996). The Tomorrow's Vision campaign (1996-98) allowed purchase a fourth block of land and pave it as a north parking lot. The Calumet and Beyond campaign (1999-2000) funded key projects, including the purchase and redesign of Calumet Street between our buildings. This area is named "Jones Plaza" in memory of A. Gordon Jones and in honor of Grace G. Jones, and has provided a gathering place for St. Paul's members to come.
[edit] Worship
St. Paul's is perhaps best known for its traditional style of worship. The church holds three Sunday morning services: 8:30, 9:45, 11:05. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday at the 9:45 service and is celebrated at every service on the first Sunday of each month.
Worship at St. Paul's is led by its two outstanding choirs, St. Paul's Choir (the adult choir) and St. Paul's Choral Scholars (a choir for local high school students).
[edit] St. Paul's Choir
Worship at St. Paul's is led by St. Paul's Choir. The choir sings at the 8:30 and 11:05 services throughout the year and at the 9:45 services over the summer when the Choral Scholars are on break. The choir also sings special services in Lent and Advent, and occasional evensongs and concerts sponsored by St. Paul's Chamber Music Society. Its 75-85 members range from singers trained as professional vocal or instrumental musicians to church members of all ages with little or no formal musical education.
The choir has won recognition in both musical and religious circles for its deep commitment to the best of traditional sacred music offered to God in authentic, spiritually moving worship.
The diverse, inclusive group has been described in the Houston Chronicle as "a choir that sings like professional musicians, but functions as a spiritual fellowship."
St. Paul's Choir has served by invitation as a visiting choir for daily services at Westminster Abbey in London during one-week residencies in 1989, 1992, and 1997. Its 1999 tour included a concert and service at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany, and a week's residency at York Minster in York, England. Summer of 2001, the choir sang services at Washington National Cathedral and St. Thomas Church in New York City. In 2003, they traveled again to England to sing a week of services at Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire and are scheduled to return to Ely in July 2007.
Major works performed with orchestra in recent years include the Poulenc Gloria, the Mozart "Great" Mass in C Minor, a complete unabridged Messiah, the rarely heard Britten oratorio St. Nicolas, Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms and most recently the Dominican Vespers of Mozart conducted by Stephen Cleobury, Director of Music at King’s College Cambridge. The group has also performed outside of St. Paul's with Houston Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Company, AGO regional conventions in Houston, Texas, and at numerous regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association.
St. Paul's Choir is currently directed by Choirmaster/Organist Mark Edenfield and by Music Administrator Dawn Uebelhart. The Choir is accompanied by Organist Ken Coleman.
[edit] St. Paul's Choral Scholars
St. Paul's Choral Scholars is an auditioned choir of local high school students that also performs on a weekly basis at St. Paul's. The Choral Scholars sing at the 9:45 service most Sundays throughout the school year. he musical traditions established by the St. Paul's Choir make this experience a unique one for area high school students. The Choral Scholars ensemble provides a monthly stipend of $125 dollars to twenty of its members. The Choral Scholars ensemble was founded by Richard Robbins for the 2005-2006 school year. Eddie Quaid took over the role of director for the 2006-2007 school year. [4]
[edit] Clergy
The current senior minister of St. Paul's is Rev. Dr. L. James "Jim" Bankston.
Other associate clergy appointed to St. Paul's include:
Rev. Terry Thompson - Congregational Care and Senior Adults
Rev. Charles Ruehl - Administration and Finance
Rev. Gail Williford - Discipleship and Spiritual Formation
Rev. Dr. Bill Kerley - Education and General Ministry
Rev. Kelly Sullivan - Church Growth, Ministry Development, and Program Administration
Rev. Shelli Williams - St. Paul's Methodist Foundation of Houston and Stewardship
Rev. Holly Ebel - Campus Ministry and Young Adults
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
