H.R. No. 98
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, In 1825, a Methodist minister, James English,
1-2 settled in the pine forests of Shelby County, and preached the
1-3 first of many sermons to a small group of locals who would
1-4 eventually form the membership of the area's first church; more
1-5 than 150 years later, believers still meet within the walls of the
1-6 First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville, faithfully uniting in
1-7 worship in the good times and the bad; and
1-8 WHEREAS, By 1836, the Methodist Church had acquired
1-9 some 200 members who met in the church's original building that
1-10 would later be destroyed by a severe storm in the late 1890s;
1-11 though a heartbreaking setback, the congregation built a new church
1-12 that stands today as a testimony to the faith and dedication of its
1-13 members, who devoted their time and resources to constructing this
1-14 inspiring place of worship; and
1-15 WHEREAS, Mule-drawn wagons were used to drag large cypress
1-16 trees from the Sabine River to the site, where men transformed them
1-17 by hand into wooden planks; each shingle was born of sweat and each
1-18 pew was a product of dedicated skill; and
1-19 WHEREAS, Designed by architect J. M. Pigg, this structure is
1-20 said to acknowledge the importance of God in the lives of its
1-21 members, with the windows, pew ends, steeple, and roof all pointing
1-22 toward the heavens; and
1-23 WHEREAS, From 1836 to the present, the church's clergy have,
1-24 with vision and wisdom, seen to the congregation's wide range of
2-1 needs; these insightful leaders have included Henry Stephenson
2-2 (1836), William C. Crawford (1838), Samuel A. Williams (1838),
2-3 Francis Wilson (1841), George West (1842), Orin Hatch (1845-50),
2-4 John Poe (1850-52), George C. Lentz (1853-54), Henderson D. Palmer
2-5 (1855-60), I. O. B. Richardson (1861-65), H. L. Samford, J. R. Burk
2-6 (1867-68), Lewis C. Crouse (1868-69), Marion Donegan (1870,
2-7 1873-75, 1876-77), James R. Wages (1870-72), W. C. Collins
2-8 (1872-73), Moses Mills (1875-76), James W. Bridges (1877-79),
2-9 J. T. Smith (1879-82), W. W. Bridwell (1882-83), Houston Twomey
2-10 (1883), John Helpinstill (1883-87, 1896-1900), L. C. Ellis
2-11 (1887-88), James D. Burk (1888-90, 1894-95), L. A. Burk (1890-93),
2-12 J. W. Lively (1893-94), W. W. Nunn (1900-01), J. W. Goodwin
2-13 (1902-04), J. I. Weatherby (1904-05), E. C. Esco (1905-06),
2-14 T. B. Vinson (1906-07), L. B. Saxon (1907-08), W. A. Craven
2-15 (1908-10), J. F. Garrett (1910-12), C. J. Atkinson (1912-14),
2-16 R. L. Bridges (1914-15), J. L. Ross (1915-16), P. I. Milton
2-17 (1917-18), D. S. Hotchkiss (1918-19), A. E. Rider (1919-20),
2-18 S. C. Irvin (1921-23), A. G. Colman (1924-25), W. A. Thomas
2-19 (1925-27), W. E. Hull (1928-29), J. T. Campbell (1930-33),
2-20 D. J. Davis (1934-35), Denman Easterling (1935-36), J. A. Moore
2-21 (1937-38), Chester Steel (1938-40), L. C. Standfer (1941-42),
2-22 G. W. Earles (1942-44), S. A. Weimer (1944-47), James Tadlock
2-23 (1947-48), J. T. Campbell (1948-50), James Wilson (1950-51),
2-24 J. P. Kirby, Jr. (1951-52), E. C. Moore (1952-53), R. B. Moon
2-25 (1955-56), John M. Cheney (1956-58), Marvin Agnew (1958-62),
2-26 Joseph Anderson (1962-63), Joe V. Clouse (1963-64), DeWitt Weaver
2-27 (1964-66), Mason Nealey (1966), Elzie Johnson (1966-68),
3-1 Claude DeCelle (1968-70), Danny Carter (1970), Walter Dishman
3-2 (1970-72), Homer Polk (1972-75), Lester Neal (1975),
3-3 William H. Hogg (1976), William McQueen (1976), C. A. West (1977),
3-4 Jerry Powell (1977-82), Norman Garrett (1982-84), Marvin Wittenburg
3-5 (1984-86), Ray Freeman (1986-89), Mark Pedersen (1990-91), and
3-6 James R. Hawkins (1991-present); and
3-7 WHEREAS, On April 4, 1993, the residents of Shelbyville will
3-8 honor the former and current members and clergy of this historic
3-9 church, who have so positively affected the growth of their town
3-10 and influenced the lives of countless numbers of individuals
3-11 through the many significant contributions they have made to the
3-12 betterment of their community; the dedication of the congregation
3-13 has carried this church through a century and a half of change, and
3-14 will surely continue to fuel its good works for many years to come;
3-15 now, therefore, be it
3-16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas
3-17 Legislature hereby congratulate the First United Methodist Church
3-18 of Shelbyville on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and commend
3-19 the Reverend James R. Hawkins and his congregation for their
3-20 continued service to their community; and, be it further
3-21 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-22 prepared for the First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville as an
3-23 expression of highest esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.
3-24 prepared for the First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville as an
3-25 expression of highest esteem by the Texas House of Representatives.
3-26 Johnson
3-27 H.R. No. 98
4-1 _______________________________
4-2 Speaker of the House
4-3 I certify that H.R. No. 98 was adopted by the House on March
4-4 11, 1993, by a non-record vote.
4-5 _______________________________
4-6 Chief Clerk of the House