Decatur First United Methodist
Church
104 South Miller
Decatur, TX
Organized in 1862, this
congregation is the oldest in Decatur. The Reverend J. R. Bellamy
conducted the first services in a vacant store on the south side
of the town square. Other churches were not started in the community
until after the Civil War. Instrumental leaders in the development
of the young church were charter members Stephen M. Gose and his
wife Mary. A blacksmith and farmer, Gose had migrated to this area
from Missouri. Their home and pump organ were used for many of the
early services. The first sanctuary was constructed at this site
in 1881. Property for the congregation was deeded by the county
government. Built during the pastorate of the Reverend E. D. Dejernet,
the edifice was destroyed by fire in the early 1890s. A second church
structure for the fellowship was soon built at this location. It
served the growing membership until the present brick sanctuary
was completed. Constructed under the leadership of the Reverend
A. R. Nash, it was dedicated at Easter services in 1914. An educational
wing was added in 1940. (1980)