Pastoral Staff
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Pastoral Care Phone Number: 972-275-6609
There may be times you need to reach a pastor for support and/or prayer during an emergency, an illness, an upcoming surgery, the loss of a loved one and more. First Rowlett now has a dedicated phone number for the congregation to get in touch with one of the pastors. You may call or text. Please add this number to your list of contacts. Pastor Pam or Pastor Travis will respond. The number is 972-275-6609.
Worship Ministry Staff
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Sandy Shelley
Adult Choir Accompanist
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Paul Bright
Organist
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Church Staff
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Liz Harper
Director of
Children's Ministries and
Director of
Wesleyan Christian Academy
liz.harper@firstrowlett.org
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Our vision is to share the love of Christ in the way we live and love others. We are a people who care for, welcome and support those around us in a way that can only be inspired by God. It's our hope that people who visit our church or interact with our people walk away feeling encouraged, refreshed and drawn closer to God. We want everyone in our community to have the chance to experience and respond to the Gospel in action through our church.
What we believe
Scripture
is full of praise of God and God’s mighty acts. Primarily, God is love. God’s
love is the foundation for God’s action in the world and in our lives, and
God’s grace is the way this love is freely given to us. Scripture begins with a
sharing of God’s grace in creation, shows God’s grace in the in reconciling of
the world through Christ, and in between is full of examples of God’s grace in
action, giving us a framework by which to understand God’s action in our own
lives.
God’s most amazing gift of grace was offered to us through his son, Jesus Christ.
We believe in Jesus as Savior, as the one through whom God has freed us of our sin and has given us the gift of whole life, eternal life, and salvation. We speak of this gift as the atonement, our "at-oneness" or reconciliation with God. We believe that in ways we cannot fully explain, God has done this through the mystery of Jesus' self-giving sacrifice on the cross and his victory over sin and death in the Resurrection.
Our Faith Journey
Christian faith is grounding our lives in the living God as
revealed especially in Jesus Christ. It’s both a gift we receive within the
Christian community and a choice we make. It’s trusting in God and relying on
God as the source and destiny of our lives. Faith is believing in God, giving
God our devoted loyalty and allegiance. Faith is following Jesus, answering the
call to be his disciples in the world. Faith is hoping for God’s future,
leaning into the coming kingdom that God has promised. Faith-as-belief is
active; it involves trusting, believing, following, hoping.
Scripture
In thinking about our faith, we put primary reliance on the
Bible. It’s the unique testimony to God’s self-disclosure in the life of
Israel; in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ; and in
the Spirit’s work in the early church. It’s our sacred canon and, thus, the
decisive source of our Christian witness and the authoritative measure of the
truth in our beliefs.
In our theological journey we study the Bible within the believing community. Even when we study it alone, we’re guided and corrected through dialogue with other Christians. We interpret individual texts in light of their place in the Bible as a whole. We use concordances, commentaries, and other aids prepared by the scholars. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we try to discern both the original intention of the text and its meaning for our own faith and life.
Some excerpts from "United Methodist Member’s Handbook, Revised," George Koehler (Discipleship Resources, 2006),
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can,
at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” ― John Wesley
History of First United Methodist Church
The First United Methodist Church of Rowlett dates back over 125 years when the first congregation meetings were held in the Big A schoolhouse near the Big A Cemetery. It is believed this first group was non-denominational, but in 1895, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Rowlett was built at the present church site. D. W. Housley, a gin operator in the agricultural community of Rowlett, donated a small tract of land. With donations from Methodists, the community, and other denominations, a building was built the same year. For several years, both Methodists and Baptists met in this small building, with Baptist and Methodist pastors serving at various times until 1920. In 1921, the original building was demolished, and a white frame building was erected.
During the depression-era in the 1930s, the church experienced a bleak period. With many people moving away, the church could not meet its obligations and the doors were closed. However, in 1940 there were a handful of devout church leaders that made sure our ministry continued and the doors of the First Methodist Church of Rowlett were again opened.
The church still did not have a full-time pastor with pastors having to travel many miles to serve this tiny congregation. However, the church continued to grow, and many dreams were realized when in 1962, a sanctuary was built on three acres of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Coyle, Sr. The church continued to grow, and in 1969 the Fellowship Hall was built and the white frame building was donated to another congregation. An office addition was added in 1976, and the wing that houses the nurseries was built in 1980. A new education and activity building were completed in 1990. This addition helped make possible an expanded program for children and youth. Within a few months of moving into this facility, attendance in our Sunday School doubled. In 1996, the current sanctuary was completed as well as new choir facilities, a youth room and 20 classrooms. After many years in the making, our youth building called The Lighthouse was built in 2016.
The congregation continues to move forward in mission and ministry. No longer a small church, the First Rowlett United Methodist Church is passionate about reaching beyond our walls to be the hands and feet of Christ. The community has come to rely on our church to help respond to the needs in our midst, working closely with the local schools, with other churches, with the city, and with other organizations to provide resources and information. Our work in the community includes helping people with food, clothing, school supplies, prayers, connections to outside resources, disaster relief, and more. Together, we continue the vision of our founding families to be a vital force and a spiritual cornerstone for our community.
