We are located on the east side of Gatesville next to the football stadium. There is ample parking, and the main entrance is behind the church.
On November 7, 1854, Rev. Robert Barnard Wells preached the first sermon in the newly-organized town of Gatesville in a clapboard house on the southeast corner of the square that was being used as the courthouse. His wife, Mary Fisher Wells, organized the first Sunday School and private school at their log cabin. Planning soon began for organizing a Methodist Church in Gatesville.
On January 11, 1855, the Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South came to Gatesville and officially organized the Methodist Church with sixteen members. In 1860, the church members and volunteers built a church building on the corner of 7th and Saunders streets. The Methodists and Baptists shared the building, alternating Sundays. Between 1880 and 1900, several building changes took place, including a move to 8th and Saunders Street, a new wooden church, a new parsonage, and other additions and refurbishments.
Again, a larger building was needed by the congregation. In 1913, a large white brick building was dedicated on Lutterloh Avenue. In 1967 the church purchased the home at 115 N. 28th Street to be used as the parsonage.
Our present structure was completed in 1971. It incorporated many of the stained glass windows from earlier buildings. The church initiated the Let's Grow Learning Center preschool in 1982 and in 1998, a Family Life Center added additional classes and recreational space.
The 150th Anniversary of Methodism in Gatesville was marked with a special dedication service in 2004. Now, we wait for God to lead us as we write the next chapter in the story of our church.
The Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe. In our worship, we desire to surrender to and be fully devoted to one God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are passionate about what is important to God. Jesus calls those who follow Him to love God wholeheartedly and love their neighbors as themselves. Our desire is to demonstrate to the world the extravagant love of God in the person of Jesus Christ. We have been entrusted with a lifesaving and transforming message that we must share with others. Our witness is bold, compelling and fearless. Our mission advances when individuals become disciples of Jesus Christ and join God’s mission to make more disciples.
Through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the Global Methodist Church envisions multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the earth who flourish in scriptural holiness as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly. Through our ministries, we desire to share the whole counsel of God with all peoples and to advance the presence and fulfillment of the Kingdom of God in every part of the world and at all levels of societies and cultures. The Global Methodist Church is committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, and the work of the Holy Spirit in conveying God’s truth and grace to all people. We are a global church that recognizes and deploys the gifts and contributions of each part of the church, working as partners in the gospel with equal voice and leadership. Our witness to the world is marked by mutual love, concern, sharing, and a focus on those who are most vulnerable. We watch over one another in love and bear witness to the transforming power of the Good News as we humbly, but boldly, strive to serve others as ambassadors of Christ!
