By RANDY GONZALES
Special to Hays Post
Hays First United Methodist Church celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, from its humble beginnings to where it is now and to what the future might hold.
It’s sometimes hard to believe that it all started in the most unlikely of places – a saloon.
Sometime in the fall of 1873, the first Methodist church service in Hays was held in Tommy Drum’s saloon. Drum, a well-known saloon keeper, cleared off the bar and covered it with a cloth sheet. Rev. Leonard Bell preached at that historic service.
“How wonderful it was that he would spread a sheet over the bar,” said Mary Meckenstock-Gribben, a longtime lay leader with the church. “How wonderful it was that people knew they needed a place to gather. This was the place they were going to gather.”
Now, 150 years later, members of the congregation were able to wear a blue shirt that bore a graphic on the front that read “It all started in a saloon.” The church logo and the year it was established adorned the back of the shirt, which was given free to church members.
After that first service, different church groups, including Methodists, met in various locations, including the Opera House, for the next several years. In 1878, the Methodist church was formally established in Hays with 13 charter members.
It became apparent a church home was needed, and on March 27, 1887, a frame church on the corner of Seventh and Oak streets was dedicated.
Church membership has grown through the years, and the cornerstone for the current church at 305 W. Seventh was set in 1948. Financial shortfalls delayed finishing the sanctuary, so services were held in the basement. Finally, on Sept. 18, 1949, the first service was held upstairs in the sanctuary.
Meckenstock-Gribben, a wide-eyed 4-year-old at the time, remembered that service.
“As a child, when it was finished, that Sunday morning when we went from the basement up the stairs,” she said, “to see all of that beautiful stained glass and woodwork, it was just amazing.”
The church held two events this year to celebrate the anniversary. In April, there was a reunion dinner with former pastors invited, and there also was a walking tour, with associate pastor Troy Miller assuming the role of a circuit preacher as he detailed the history of the church.
“It’s a milestone for people,” Miller said of the anniversary. “What the walking tour did was help people realize how much sacrifice was made by generations before us, the dedication they had.”
“It’s inspirational to look at the sacrifices and hard work people did before us,” he added. “I think sometimes people take it for granted. We don’t realize we stand on the shoulders of giants of the faith who came before us.”
Church leaders initially also planned a community barbecue in September, but upon further reflection opted to instead have about 100 church members circulate through town and hand out $6,800 in $20 bills, with a note attached.
“We’ve been blessed,” Miller said, “passing it on.”
The church’s current location was influenced by the president of the local college, William A. Lewis.
What is now known as Fort Hays State University had Methodists comprising more than half of its student body at the time. Lewis, a staunch Methodist who knew the church was outgrowing its location at Seventh and Oak, recommended a move closer to the college and include a residence hall in the plans.
Construction of the new church commenced in 1920, and the basement was nearly finished by 1924.
“There was a strong connection between this church and President Lewis convincing them to build it here,” Miller said. “With the help of the visionary leadership of President Lewis, he said this could become the heart of the university as well.”
That residence hall, called Wesley Hall, is now used for classrooms and other educational purposes for church members.
While honoring the past, church leaders also are looking to the future.
“As Hays has changed, so goes the church,” senior pastor Craig Hauschild said. “Multiple generations who have passed through the doors have created different needs for how well we tell the story of Christ.”
“The church has tried to adapt, I think it has done very well,” he added. “We’re talking about what it’s like to move into the next 150 years.”
The church has tried to address what it sees as a need moving forward.
“One of the things that Hays First United Methodist Church has recently taken on, because we see the need is huge, is (serving) the fastest-growing demographic in Hays – Spanish-speaking people, mainly from Mexico,” Miller said, adding many members of that community speak little or no English.
Miller, also the pastor at the United Methodist Campus Ministry Center, has enlisted the help of FHSU students to provide free tutoring as well as free English classes for the Spanish-speaking community. There is a Spanish-speaking church service on Sunday evenings as well.
“That little group is starting to grow,” Miller said. “We’re seeing that if we’re trying to be the church that God’s calling us to be, we need to create a space that welcomes the immigrants who come into our community, and a worship space for them.”
The church’s vision for the future includes how its mission can impact the needs of the community.
“I think it’s interesting how God moves on people’s lives,” Hauschild said.
Meckenstock-Gribben, who was moved by what she saw that Sunday as a 4-year-old all those many years ago, also looks to the future.
“I think our plan is to be mindful of the needs of the community,” she said. “Each of us has different gifts to share.”
