History of the First United Methodist Church of Edna

It’s been said that we do not know where we are going until we know where we have been. FUMC Edna, the oldest church in Jackson County, began in the township of Texana in 1838 as Texana Methodist Church. Early settlers brought their faith as Methodists to this new frontier, an extreme western outpost of Methodism in Texas at that time. When the railroad drew the township north to establish the town of Edna, Texana Methodist Church moved too.

Until the first permanent structure was built in Edna in 1885, worshippers met in the courthouse and the Presbyterian Church. They were not deterred in their ministry and worship when a tropical storm destroyed the frame structure of FUMC Edna, but rebuilt with bricks and mortar and faith the building where our church family worships today.

Our church as a long history of reaching out to the community. The first Sunday School in Jackson County was organized by the Edna Methodist congregation in 1882, just seven years after the first Sunday School in America was organized. The oldest missionary society in the county was organized by Edna Methodist women in 1887.

Through the decades this congregation has continued to be a presence in the community and a voice for the needy, In the 1970’s, FUMC Edna was instrumental in the development of Helping Hands, an organization responsible for the distribution of food and clothing for the needy of the county, later to become a community-wide endeavor. In the 1990’s the Methodist Healthcare System established the Wesley Nurse Program and FUMC Edna became a Wesley Nurse site, reaching out to the elderly and needy of the community.

Our mission and history are one and the same; Lift high the Cross of Christ by proclaiming and demonstrating the love of God.