History of Martin

W.C. Martin United Methodist is part of The United Methodist Church, a global church that opens hearts, opens doors and opens minds through active engagement with our world.

John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.

As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.
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“No generation that forgets its indebtedness to the past is likely to transmit to the future any worthy heritage. It is for this reason that the preservation of church records and the writing of church history are recognized as an obligation of primary importance. How else can the people of a later generation become acquainted with the adversities and toils and achievements of those who went before them?”

William C. Martin,
Resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference
1948 to 1964

Martin Church began on July 26, 1964, when 21 people, representing eleven families from Euless, attended the first worship service held in the Four Seasons Ballroom of the Western Hills Inn. All 21 of those in attendance joined the church.

The church, which was named after United Methodist Bishop, William C. Martin, quickly grew to 80 members. Because of this growth, the worship service was moved to a warehouse in Industrial Park off of Highway 10. However, they quickly outgrew this new meeting place and began searching for larger quarters. At first, they shared facilities with Wilshire Baptist Church of Euless, and later services were held in six interconnected portable buildings.

These buildings were located at what is now the Southeast corner of Westpark Way and Airport Freeway in Euless. It was at this time the first building committee was formed to search for a permanent worship site.

In June 1970, ground was broken for the first permanent sanctuary. Bishop Martin was present for the occasion and turned the first shovel of dirt. The following year, on May 30 the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary with then retired Bishop Martin preaching the morning sermon. Martin’s membership had reached 200.

The new sanctuary finally gave the growing congregation the worship space it had been seeking; however, educational space soon became the new need.

In 1976 the membership approved the construction of a 7,800 square foot education building which was ready for use in 1978.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the HEB area and the congregation experienced phenomenal growth. Church leadership began exploring ways to enhance the future growth of the church. A committee was appointed to examine the expansion of the physical facilities.

A spacious new sanctuary was completed in the fall of 1987 and the Martin church family gathered to worship in one glorious service the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

In the early 1990s, the original Sanctuary (Building A) underwent updating and renovation and became the fellowship hall and administrative offices.

It was also during this time the common outdoor spaces between the sanctuary, fellowship hall and the education building (Building B) were enclosed to form the present day Wooton Hall, named after long time member Geraldine Wooton. Martin continued to grow and more space was needed to accommodate classrooms. As a result, the church acquired the “Annex” which was north of the church parking lot, as well as the “Coble House” just west of the Education Building.

By 1998, Martin had nearly 2,000 members on the church rolls. Additional staff was hired and new programs were implemented to serve the congregation. The need for more space was recognized; and during the fall of 1998, the membership voted and approved the purchase of the land southwest of the Coble House. In 2000, Martin became a campus with the construction of an 18,600 square foot Education Building (Building C). The new building features a state of the art kitchen, fellowship hall, 15 Sunday school classrooms and new infant and toddler nurseries.

In May of 2001, the new building was dedicated. Martin continued to see growth in 2001. Our membership rolls hovered around 2,000, and we acquired additional property located north and west of the Coble House.

At the close of 2001, renovations were underway in both Building A and B.