GUMC HISTORY
History is important. The more you know about who you are and how you got here, the better prepared you will be to succeed. The Gause Methodist Church is no different. Our history is important and in the future we plan on adding more and more to this series of pages about our history.
First, we have a series of documents that are being uploaded to the following pages. Hopefully, you will find them interesting and informative:
Original Land Deed in 1895 - Deed to Methodist Episcopal Church South for a place of worship.
2nd Clarifying Deed in 1895 - removed the language requiring the land to be use for a place of worship.
Dedication Deed for Town of Gause Plat filed - 1902
Town of Gause Plat filed - 1902
2 Lots in Block 11 purchased for $375 from J. R. and Lillian Fraim
Deed of 2 Lots in Block 11 - Feb 1916 - the church purchased the same two lots from itself and paid $170!
1932 Contract to Construct the Church - Signed in November of 1932
Satisfaction of Mortgage, Nov 2, 1938 - the mortgage on the church had been paid in full.
Mortgage Payoff Information, Nov 2, 1938 - more information related to the mortgage being paid in full.
GUMC Committees 1973 - a committee list from the past
Affidavit of Name filed with Milam County Clerk - Jan 19, 2001
Transfer of Lots to Gause Baptist Church - Jan 19, 2001- GUMC transferred the 2 lots from Block 11 to the Gause Baptist Church
Purchase of Lots from Kyles - Jan 19, 2001
Travis Neely and his sister deeded a lot in Hearne, Tx to GUMC - Aug 20, 2003
Hearne Lot sold to Robertson County EMS - Oct 20, 2006
Harry G. Alexander gifted 2 lots to GUMC (across from the old Kyle house property to the west of the Annex) - April 23, 2015
Condemnation of Alley on Church Property - August 26, 2019
Amazing Grace of Gause and GUMC Agreement - Nov 17, 2019
Kyle Deed (2001) Lien Release - Oct 7, 2022
UMC Trust Clause Release Deed - Dec 29, 2022
Following is our history as we can best determine:
The early history of the Gause Methodist Church is somewhat elusive. As far as we know, it was simply known as the Gause Methodist Church. During these early years, it was Nashville on the Brazos that was the organized community. It was located about 5 miles east of the area currently known as Gause. Nashville was a major settlement for several years, but after Texas became part of the United States, Nashville basically disappeared.
During the Nashville days the Methodist Church appointed pastors to serve Nashville as well as the entire region, including those soles living in what would become Gause. They were:
1840 - Joseph P. Snead
1841 - Robert Crawford
1842 - Unknown, but probably Rev. Crawford
1843 - D. N. V. Sullivan
1844 - Robert Crawford was again appointed.
After that, Nashville waned and Port Sullivan became the active town center for a few years. We know that in 1871 The Methodist Church appointed W. Whittenburg as pastor there.
In 1882 there were enough people in the Gause area to form an actual church, so Rev J. C. Grindley was appointed and it appears he began the process of actually establishing a recognized church in Gause, known as the Gause Methodist Church. His efforts appeared to take root and in 1887, the Gause Episcopal Church South was established.
The church apparently met in the school house for many years until after late 1895 when the church purchased land from the New York and Texas Land Company, Limited. We have two deeds dated the same day, Nov 26, 1895. The first one contained language saying that the sale was on the condition that the land would always be used for Divine Worship, or it would revert back to the land company. However, apparently that became an issue at that time because a second deed was written and it was signed with the same Nov 26th date! However it was notarized on a totally different day and it was filed for record about a year after the first one was filed. Interesting! So, it appears the second deed, which did not contain that restrictive language, is the correct deed of reference for our ownership purposes.
The early pastors of this church were:
1887 - 1890 - W. F. Brinson
1891 - C. G. Hocutt and H. T. Hart
1892 - E. M. Myers
1893 - J. W. Thompson
1894 - 1897 - S. P. Brown
1898 - J. C. Moore
1899 - J. L. Yeats
1900 - H. T. Hart was again appointed.
1916 - Two lots were purchased for the purpose of a parsonage. However, it apparently was land that the church already owned and a deed was signed because of one of the many church name changes. It appears this was an effort to keep the property properly titled, but we cannot be sure. It is interesting that we have no record of the original church every purchasing or receiving those two lots. Eventually, in 2001 the Gause United Methodist Church gave those two lots to the Gause Baptist Church so they could erect their Family Life Center.
1932 - On November 9th the church entered into a contract with R. W. Hauptfleisch to construct the church, presumably what we now know as the sanctuary complete with the wonderful stained glass windows. Construction was completed, most likely, in 1933. The cost of the building was $1165.00. Contrast that to the cost incurred by the church in 2014 to restore the building of almost $270,000!
This may or may not conflict with the information in the book by Edrie Wilson Browder, discussed below. She does not say when the building was constructed but appears to allude to it being done in 1931. It was built in 1933.
Oct 9, 1994 - The Gause United Methodist Church was incorporated as the Gause United Methodist Church.
Sep 28, 2022 - The congregation spent most of 2022 examining the pros and cons of remaining in the United Methodist denomination or disaffiliating due to the denomination no longer following the Bible nor holding Bishops and other officials accountable for their actions. The Congregation voted 100% to disaffiliate and 88% to affiliate with the new Global Methodist Church. Both activities will be effective Dec 31, 2022. The new name of the church is the Gause Methodist Church.
Dec 3, 2022 - The UMC Texas Annual Conference voted to approve the disaffiliation from the UMC and provided the church with a deed removing all aspects of the trust clause from the Gause Methodist Church's property.
Jan 1, 2023 - The Gause Methodist Church officially became part of the Global Methodist denomination. This is a traditional and conservative Methodist denomination.
History of the church (as told by Edrie Wilson Browder)…
In the Beginning
The Methodist Church was originally a frontier missionary church and was active in this area among the earliest settlers in Nashville (1834). In 1887 the Gause Episcopal Church South was organized. Originally, only the local schoolhouse was available for services, and the Methodists occupied the building on Sunday afternoons. In 1895, the congregation acquired a tract of land, and shortly thereafter the Methodists erected there a simple frame structure that was the first church built in Gause.
The charter members of this institution who gave liberally of their time and wealth were: Dan Fowler, R. E. Watts, Fayette Watts, Jim Dixon, W.J. Gause, C.C. Moore, J.C. Gidley, Mrs. William Grigsby, Mrs. Willie Covington, Mrs. John Needham, Mrs. Tom Peel, and Mr. and Mrs. Allen Varner.
R. E. Watts was the contractor and financier of the new church. Reverend Smith was the Presiding Elder and Reverend S. P. Brown was the first pastor. Fayette Watts was the first superintendent of the Sunday School. Succeeding superintendents in the order of service were Adrian Plaster, R. E. Watts, Clarence Varner, M. M. Arendell, Oshen O. Gaston, Fritz Hauptfleisch, J. H. Thomas, J.P. Harris, T. C. Wilson, H. M. Walker, Sr., Elvis Wilson, Mr. J. H. Thomas, and Dr. Henry J. Bonorden.
Pastors serving the charge from 1892 to 1933 were Rev. S. P. Brown, Herschel Timmons, J. D. Burke, W.W. Adams, G. W. Riley, J. T. Garrett, J. Cole, J. W. Wardlow, L.W. Cansler, R. O. Wier, F. O. Prather, M. J. Biggers, W. F. Weeks, G. C. House, and D. S. Burke.
All churches are built with love, but some of us think that the present Methodist church building has a little extra love consecrated within its structures. In the late 1920’s the congregation felt the need for a new building and began planning. After the plans were made they began to look for a contractor. This was in late 1931, and the congregation had just lost one of its most beloved members, Fritz Hauptfleisch, born in Germany in 1882, had come to America as a young man of 22 because his sweetheart, Louise Fuhrmann, had sailed for America with her mother the year before. They came to Milam county in 1905 and were married the following year by Thomas Dean Ferguson, Justice of the Peace. Fritz had been educated for the ministry and had done evangelistic work in Germany; he and his family were deeply dedicated to the work of the church. He served as Sunday School superintendent for many years and worked with the youth; and he often filled the pulpit for pastors throughout the county. Fritz had died the previous June; and his older brother, Robert Hauptfleisch, a competent carpenter, asked if he might have the job of building the church and dedicate it to the memory of his bother, Fritz. As the organizer of the Gause Mother’s Day Homecoming Picnics during the early 1920’s, Fritz is often remembered even today at the annual affair.
Music
We have always been blessed with ladies to play the organ. I’m guessing we started off with the foot-pumped organ in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Fronda Watts was the first organist, succeeded by Minnie Gidley, Mrs. Maggie Griggsby Thomas, Mr. S. R. Cochran, Lena Gaston, Merle Hickman, Elsie Hauptfleisch, and Fern Critchfield, who served as organists or Pianists. Mrs. Bob Goode and Gertrude Luce also assisted with the music.
In 1953 a new Hammond organ was donated to the church by the J. C. Gidley family in memory of their parents, Rev. J. C. and Mrs. Martha Gudley. The organ was dedicated on December 27, 1953 at a service officiated over by the Reverend Fred Dibble. Mrs. Eddie Varner Doty gave a talk on the life and times during the early 1900’s when the Gidley family lived in Gause. An organ recital of sacred music followed the dedication, performed by Miss Betty Gidley, granddaughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Gidley and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gidley.
Another organist, Mrs. O. L. Gause Harlan, had left Gause after she married James Harlan and he had to move whenever he could find work. Finally, he got work in Hearne, and the highway bridge had been constructed across the river, so they could live in Gause. O. L. would wear many “hats” in working in the Methodist Church – pianist, teacher, secretary, administrative board members; she would serve in any capacity and was always in perfect attendance.
Not only did we have “showers of blessings” we had a flood! Jimmy Harris, who had grown up in our church but had to leave to pursue the job market, returned about 1975. He teamed up with his very talented wife, Helen, with her at the organ and him at the piano. No church in the Texas Conference has had better music.
Dudley Varner Annex
Late in 1956 the church board met to discuss the need for more classrooms as well as space for recreational and social activities and a place where the pastor could study, counsel and relax. A committee was formed to study the feasibility of the building an annex and methods of raising funds to finance the costs. Members of the committee included J. P. Harris, Elvis Wilson, G. R. Varner, Mr. J. P. Harlan, Edrie Browder, Mr. J. H. Thomas, Mr. H. M. Walker, and Thomas Clyde Wilson, all of whom set a fine example by making pledges and plunging into the work of raising the necessary funds.
Members and friends raised money for the project in a variety of ways: some sold vanilla extract, black pepper and furniture polish; some sold craft items at livestock auctions. One of the cleverest ideas came from Mrs. Dudley Varner, in whose honor the annex was dedicated. She asked members of the Women’s Society of Christian Services to sew tiny aprons and send them to friends, along with a verse asking each person to donate a dollar for each inch of his or her waist measurement. By the time the annex was completed and dedicated in 1959, friends had donated money, free or cheap labor, and a multitude of furniture and furnishings, including tables, chairs, dishes, cutlery, cooking utensils and other items necessary for entertaining. Threta Lee Cannon, a third generation member of the Gaston family, completed an oil painting of our 1895 church to adorn the walls of the annex.
Building the annex was truly a community project, and it is freely used by all members of the community for a variety of functions-family reunions, funeral dinners, anniversary parties, and wedding receptions, as well as church-related activities.
In the spring of 1992, Pastor Rev. Max Adams invited a group of Wesley Foundation students from A&M University to reroof the annex.
Stained Glass Windows, Furniture and Other Memorials
The stained glass windows in the sanctuary are beautiful memorials dedicated to the memory and/or honor of some of those who planted seeds of faith in the early years in Gause. (God knows how hard they worked, for at one time Gause had six saloons and no jail – drunks were just chained to a tree until they sobered, or so the story goes!) Nearly all of the fixtures and furniture have memorial plaques. As indicated earlier, the organ was given by the Gidley family in memory of their family. The pulpit is in memory of the John Gaston family, who came to Gause in 1907. (Ola Gaston Wilson used to tell her children that at that time Christians attended the Baptist services on odd Sundays and the Methodist services on even Sundays. Before they had their own building, she said, they shared the schoolhouse; one denomination had morning services, the other had afternoon services.)
The Holy Communion table and brass candlesticks are memorials to Mr. and Mrs. Allen Varner. Leland Bowling, son of Vola Gause and Phillip Bowling, made a beautiful desk for his aunt, O. L. Gause Harlan, to the memory of her husband, James P. Harlan. It holds a beautiful red book in which memorials to the church are recorded. Most of the Methodist Hymnals are memorials. The brass collection plates, brass lamps on the organ and piano, and the lectern are memorials to Clyde and Ola Wilson. The chair in the pastor’s study was donated by William J. Gause, for whom the town was named; it had been used for a pulpit chair until recent years.
Church Bell
The church bell mentioned in Maggie Grigsby’s diary in 1908 was first rung from a steeple of the first Methodist Church built in the late 1890’s. How sweet the sound of the church bell calling worshipers to a service (not everyone had striking clocks in those days)! In 1932, when the present church building was erected, a wooden tower was built at the northeast corner of the church, where it served until the tower gave up and dropped the bell. In time, it was laid to rest at the Bill Gause home until about 1991, when nostalgia surfaced and recalled the bell to a new life. It was refurbished and brought back to the church, mounted in a place of honor on a brick and concrete foundation with a plaque attesting to the memory of those who have gone on before – a fitting tribute to the old bell that had stirred the spirit of early Christians, calling them to worship or softly tolling its message as the body of a loved one was arriving at the church for friends and relatives to pay their final respects.
As a tribute to EDRIE WILSON BROWDER, this history was adapted from her book,
“GAUSE, Texas, A Legacy in Pieces” by Edrie Wilson Browder, Copyright 1997, Nortex Press.
Printed with permission from Ms. Browder’s nephew, Wilson Kyle.
First, we have a series of documents that are being uploaded to the following pages. Hopefully, you will find them interesting and informative:
Original Land Deed in 1895 - Deed to Methodist Episcopal Church South for a place of worship.
2nd Clarifying Deed in 1895 - removed the language requiring the land to be use for a place of worship.
Dedication Deed for Town of Gause Plat filed - 1902
Town of Gause Plat filed - 1902
2 Lots in Block 11 purchased for $375 from J. R. and Lillian Fraim
Deed of 2 Lots in Block 11 - Feb 1916 - the church purchased the same two lots from itself and paid $170!
1932 Contract to Construct the Church - Signed in November of 1932
Satisfaction of Mortgage, Nov 2, 1938 - the mortgage on the church had been paid in full.
Mortgage Payoff Information, Nov 2, 1938 - more information related to the mortgage being paid in full.
GUMC Committees 1973 - a committee list from the past
Affidavit of Name filed with Milam County Clerk - Jan 19, 2001
Transfer of Lots to Gause Baptist Church - Jan 19, 2001- GUMC transferred the 2 lots from Block 11 to the Gause Baptist Church
Purchase of Lots from Kyles - Jan 19, 2001
Travis Neely and his sister deeded a lot in Hearne, Tx to GUMC - Aug 20, 2003
Hearne Lot sold to Robertson County EMS - Oct 20, 2006
Harry G. Alexander gifted 2 lots to GUMC (across from the old Kyle house property to the west of the Annex) - April 23, 2015
Condemnation of Alley on Church Property - August 26, 2019
Amazing Grace of Gause and GUMC Agreement - Nov 17, 2019
Kyle Deed (2001) Lien Release - Oct 7, 2022
UMC Trust Clause Release Deed - Dec 29, 2022
Following is our history as we can best determine:
The early history of the Gause Methodist Church is somewhat elusive. As far as we know, it was simply known as the Gause Methodist Church. During these early years, it was Nashville on the Brazos that was the organized community. It was located about 5 miles east of the area currently known as Gause. Nashville was a major settlement for several years, but after Texas became part of the United States, Nashville basically disappeared.
During the Nashville days the Methodist Church appointed pastors to serve Nashville as well as the entire region, including those soles living in what would become Gause. They were:
1840 - Joseph P. Snead
1841 - Robert Crawford
1842 - Unknown, but probably Rev. Crawford
1843 - D. N. V. Sullivan
1844 - Robert Crawford was again appointed.
After that, Nashville waned and Port Sullivan became the active town center for a few years. We know that in 1871 The Methodist Church appointed W. Whittenburg as pastor there.
In 1882 there were enough people in the Gause area to form an actual church, so Rev J. C. Grindley was appointed and it appears he began the process of actually establishing a recognized church in Gause, known as the Gause Methodist Church. His efforts appeared to take root and in 1887, the Gause Episcopal Church South was established.
The church apparently met in the school house for many years until after late 1895 when the church purchased land from the New York and Texas Land Company, Limited. We have two deeds dated the same day, Nov 26, 1895. The first one contained language saying that the sale was on the condition that the land would always be used for Divine Worship, or it would revert back to the land company. However, apparently that became an issue at that time because a second deed was written and it was signed with the same Nov 26th date! However it was notarized on a totally different day and it was filed for record about a year after the first one was filed. Interesting! So, it appears the second deed, which did not contain that restrictive language, is the correct deed of reference for our ownership purposes.
The early pastors of this church were:
1887 - 1890 - W. F. Brinson
1891 - C. G. Hocutt and H. T. Hart
1892 - E. M. Myers
1893 - J. W. Thompson
1894 - 1897 - S. P. Brown
1898 - J. C. Moore
1899 - J. L. Yeats
1900 - H. T. Hart was again appointed.
1916 - Two lots were purchased for the purpose of a parsonage. However, it apparently was land that the church already owned and a deed was signed because of one of the many church name changes. It appears this was an effort to keep the property properly titled, but we cannot be sure. It is interesting that we have no record of the original church every purchasing or receiving those two lots. Eventually, in 2001 the Gause United Methodist Church gave those two lots to the Gause Baptist Church so they could erect their Family Life Center.
1932 - On November 9th the church entered into a contract with R. W. Hauptfleisch to construct the church, presumably what we now know as the sanctuary complete with the wonderful stained glass windows. Construction was completed, most likely, in 1933. The cost of the building was $1165.00. Contrast that to the cost incurred by the church in 2014 to restore the building of almost $270,000!
This may or may not conflict with the information in the book by Edrie Wilson Browder, discussed below. She does not say when the building was constructed but appears to allude to it being done in 1931. It was built in 1933.
Oct 9, 1994 - The Gause United Methodist Church was incorporated as the Gause United Methodist Church.
Sep 28, 2022 - The congregation spent most of 2022 examining the pros and cons of remaining in the United Methodist denomination or disaffiliating due to the denomination no longer following the Bible nor holding Bishops and other officials accountable for their actions. The Congregation voted 100% to disaffiliate and 88% to affiliate with the new Global Methodist Church. Both activities will be effective Dec 31, 2022. The new name of the church is the Gause Methodist Church.
Dec 3, 2022 - The UMC Texas Annual Conference voted to approve the disaffiliation from the UMC and provided the church with a deed removing all aspects of the trust clause from the Gause Methodist Church's property.
Jan 1, 2023 - The Gause Methodist Church officially became part of the Global Methodist denomination. This is a traditional and conservative Methodist denomination.
History of the church (as told by Edrie Wilson Browder)…
In the Beginning
The Methodist Church was originally a frontier missionary church and was active in this area among the earliest settlers in Nashville (1834). In 1887 the Gause Episcopal Church South was organized. Originally, only the local schoolhouse was available for services, and the Methodists occupied the building on Sunday afternoons. In 1895, the congregation acquired a tract of land, and shortly thereafter the Methodists erected there a simple frame structure that was the first church built in Gause.
The charter members of this institution who gave liberally of their time and wealth were: Dan Fowler, R. E. Watts, Fayette Watts, Jim Dixon, W.J. Gause, C.C. Moore, J.C. Gidley, Mrs. William Grigsby, Mrs. Willie Covington, Mrs. John Needham, Mrs. Tom Peel, and Mr. and Mrs. Allen Varner.
R. E. Watts was the contractor and financier of the new church. Reverend Smith was the Presiding Elder and Reverend S. P. Brown was the first pastor. Fayette Watts was the first superintendent of the Sunday School. Succeeding superintendents in the order of service were Adrian Plaster, R. E. Watts, Clarence Varner, M. M. Arendell, Oshen O. Gaston, Fritz Hauptfleisch, J. H. Thomas, J.P. Harris, T. C. Wilson, H. M. Walker, Sr., Elvis Wilson, Mr. J. H. Thomas, and Dr. Henry J. Bonorden.
Pastors serving the charge from 1892 to 1933 were Rev. S. P. Brown, Herschel Timmons, J. D. Burke, W.W. Adams, G. W. Riley, J. T. Garrett, J. Cole, J. W. Wardlow, L.W. Cansler, R. O. Wier, F. O. Prather, M. J. Biggers, W. F. Weeks, G. C. House, and D. S. Burke.
All churches are built with love, but some of us think that the present Methodist church building has a little extra love consecrated within its structures. In the late 1920’s the congregation felt the need for a new building and began planning. After the plans were made they began to look for a contractor. This was in late 1931, and the congregation had just lost one of its most beloved members, Fritz Hauptfleisch, born in Germany in 1882, had come to America as a young man of 22 because his sweetheart, Louise Fuhrmann, had sailed for America with her mother the year before. They came to Milam county in 1905 and were married the following year by Thomas Dean Ferguson, Justice of the Peace. Fritz had been educated for the ministry and had done evangelistic work in Germany; he and his family were deeply dedicated to the work of the church. He served as Sunday School superintendent for many years and worked with the youth; and he often filled the pulpit for pastors throughout the county. Fritz had died the previous June; and his older brother, Robert Hauptfleisch, a competent carpenter, asked if he might have the job of building the church and dedicate it to the memory of his bother, Fritz. As the organizer of the Gause Mother’s Day Homecoming Picnics during the early 1920’s, Fritz is often remembered even today at the annual affair.
Music
We have always been blessed with ladies to play the organ. I’m guessing we started off with the foot-pumped organ in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Fronda Watts was the first organist, succeeded by Minnie Gidley, Mrs. Maggie Griggsby Thomas, Mr. S. R. Cochran, Lena Gaston, Merle Hickman, Elsie Hauptfleisch, and Fern Critchfield, who served as organists or Pianists. Mrs. Bob Goode and Gertrude Luce also assisted with the music.
In 1953 a new Hammond organ was donated to the church by the J. C. Gidley family in memory of their parents, Rev. J. C. and Mrs. Martha Gudley. The organ was dedicated on December 27, 1953 at a service officiated over by the Reverend Fred Dibble. Mrs. Eddie Varner Doty gave a talk on the life and times during the early 1900’s when the Gidley family lived in Gause. An organ recital of sacred music followed the dedication, performed by Miss Betty Gidley, granddaughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Gidley and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gidley.
Another organist, Mrs. O. L. Gause Harlan, had left Gause after she married James Harlan and he had to move whenever he could find work. Finally, he got work in Hearne, and the highway bridge had been constructed across the river, so they could live in Gause. O. L. would wear many “hats” in working in the Methodist Church – pianist, teacher, secretary, administrative board members; she would serve in any capacity and was always in perfect attendance.
Not only did we have “showers of blessings” we had a flood! Jimmy Harris, who had grown up in our church but had to leave to pursue the job market, returned about 1975. He teamed up with his very talented wife, Helen, with her at the organ and him at the piano. No church in the Texas Conference has had better music.
Dudley Varner Annex
Late in 1956 the church board met to discuss the need for more classrooms as well as space for recreational and social activities and a place where the pastor could study, counsel and relax. A committee was formed to study the feasibility of the building an annex and methods of raising funds to finance the costs. Members of the committee included J. P. Harris, Elvis Wilson, G. R. Varner, Mr. J. P. Harlan, Edrie Browder, Mr. J. H. Thomas, Mr. H. M. Walker, and Thomas Clyde Wilson, all of whom set a fine example by making pledges and plunging into the work of raising the necessary funds.
Members and friends raised money for the project in a variety of ways: some sold vanilla extract, black pepper and furniture polish; some sold craft items at livestock auctions. One of the cleverest ideas came from Mrs. Dudley Varner, in whose honor the annex was dedicated. She asked members of the Women’s Society of Christian Services to sew tiny aprons and send them to friends, along with a verse asking each person to donate a dollar for each inch of his or her waist measurement. By the time the annex was completed and dedicated in 1959, friends had donated money, free or cheap labor, and a multitude of furniture and furnishings, including tables, chairs, dishes, cutlery, cooking utensils and other items necessary for entertaining. Threta Lee Cannon, a third generation member of the Gaston family, completed an oil painting of our 1895 church to adorn the walls of the annex.
Building the annex was truly a community project, and it is freely used by all members of the community for a variety of functions-family reunions, funeral dinners, anniversary parties, and wedding receptions, as well as church-related activities.
In the spring of 1992, Pastor Rev. Max Adams invited a group of Wesley Foundation students from A&M University to reroof the annex.
Stained Glass Windows, Furniture and Other Memorials
The stained glass windows in the sanctuary are beautiful memorials dedicated to the memory and/or honor of some of those who planted seeds of faith in the early years in Gause. (God knows how hard they worked, for at one time Gause had six saloons and no jail – drunks were just chained to a tree until they sobered, or so the story goes!) Nearly all of the fixtures and furniture have memorial plaques. As indicated earlier, the organ was given by the Gidley family in memory of their family. The pulpit is in memory of the John Gaston family, who came to Gause in 1907. (Ola Gaston Wilson used to tell her children that at that time Christians attended the Baptist services on odd Sundays and the Methodist services on even Sundays. Before they had their own building, she said, they shared the schoolhouse; one denomination had morning services, the other had afternoon services.)
The Holy Communion table and brass candlesticks are memorials to Mr. and Mrs. Allen Varner. Leland Bowling, son of Vola Gause and Phillip Bowling, made a beautiful desk for his aunt, O. L. Gause Harlan, to the memory of her husband, James P. Harlan. It holds a beautiful red book in which memorials to the church are recorded. Most of the Methodist Hymnals are memorials. The brass collection plates, brass lamps on the organ and piano, and the lectern are memorials to Clyde and Ola Wilson. The chair in the pastor’s study was donated by William J. Gause, for whom the town was named; it had been used for a pulpit chair until recent years.
Church Bell
The church bell mentioned in Maggie Grigsby’s diary in 1908 was first rung from a steeple of the first Methodist Church built in the late 1890’s. How sweet the sound of the church bell calling worshipers to a service (not everyone had striking clocks in those days)! In 1932, when the present church building was erected, a wooden tower was built at the northeast corner of the church, where it served until the tower gave up and dropped the bell. In time, it was laid to rest at the Bill Gause home until about 1991, when nostalgia surfaced and recalled the bell to a new life. It was refurbished and brought back to the church, mounted in a place of honor on a brick and concrete foundation with a plaque attesting to the memory of those who have gone on before – a fitting tribute to the old bell that had stirred the spirit of early Christians, calling them to worship or softly tolling its message as the body of a loved one was arriving at the church for friends and relatives to pay their final respects.
As a tribute to EDRIE WILSON BROWDER, this history was adapted from her book,
“GAUSE, Texas, A Legacy in Pieces” by Edrie Wilson Browder, Copyright 1997, Nortex Press.
Printed with permission from Ms. Browder’s nephew, Wilson Kyle.