While it is true that the name “St. Mark’s” was first used after the merger in 1938,and the present building was occupied in 1940, the roots go back many years as outlined in the preceding chapters.

 

 

Norhill Methodist Episcopal Church had 539 members and Woodland Heights Methodist Church, South, 650 with both buildings “bulging at the seams.” No land, vacant or otherwise, was available adjacent to their church property. However, Woodland had purchased a site midway between the two churches on Pecore Avenue and was anticipating the construction of a new church there.

 

Then, talk of a merger of the two began early in 1937. Which church actually initiated this talk is not known, but the first mention of consolidation appears in the minutes of the Woodland Church building committee to the quarterly conference of April 6, 1936:

 

 

During 1936 and 1937, conversations between the ministers and laypersons of both churches were progressing although no written record of the discussions exists. By late 1937, a joint committee composed of six members from Norhill and six from Woodland, plus pastors, had been appointed -

 

NORHILL                                                        WOODLAND

Glen J. Wait                                                     W.R. Shriner

A.H. Marquart                                                 John B. Williams

R.B. Fischer                                                     L.L. McReynolds

A.W. Kobs                                                       O’Banion Williams

M.V. Shively                                                   W.S. Brandenberger

D.B. Keller                                                      Ralph Walton

Rev. A.A. Leifeste                                           Rev. D.L. Landrum

 

The minutes of this committee’s first meeting held on January 5, 1938, reflect that Mr. W.R. Shriner was elected chairman and Mr. Glen J. Wait, secretary pro tem. The “Declaration of Purpose,” drawn up by Ralph Walton, attorney, was read -

 

 

and

Houston, Texas

January 5, 1938

 

STATE OF TEXAS                 )

COUNTY OF HARRIS           )

 

 

 

 

 

I.

 

For the present time, the two congregations shall remain separate and independent, except in those matters pertaining to the building program. However, all preliminary and necessary steps shall be taken as time requires, for uniting the congregations into one in conformity with the rules of the churches, and such legal steps shall be taken as may be necessary to a proper uniting of the two separate congregations.

 

II.

 

An appropriate name for the new church shall be selected either by this joint committee or by another committee specifically appointed for that purpose, as soon as may seem opportune.

 

III.

 

The two congregations shall pool all their physical assets immediately, or as soon as this can be done legally, for the purpose of erecting a new church building on a site to be chosen by the joint committee. Also, both congregations shall exert all energy and influence of their command toward the raising of funds for the erection of the new building, and to this end each congregation shall have members on a building committee which shall represent both congregations, and which committee shall work as diligently as possible and with the greatest possible speed, to the end that the new building may be ready for occupancy at the proper time.

 

IV.

 

This plan shall not, for the present at least, affect the positions of the two pastors serving such churches, but it is recommended that the pastors take up and discuss the proposed merger of the two congregations with the proper church authorities to the end that proper assignments of duties might be worked out, when the two congregations are fully combined.

 

V.

 

The new church organization shall operate under the charter of the METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH, until such time as the details of the unification of the denominations shall have been completed.

 

VI.

 

It is understood that the action, and any other action taken toward unification of the two congregations, shall be contingent upon the approval of the Southern Conference of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church, and it is also understood that no steps shall be taken toward the carrying out of this program until a favorable vote upon the proposed plan of unification shall have been recorded by the Annual Conference of the METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH.

 

 

 

 

The signed copy was probably placed in the cornerstone.

 

 After the reading of the resolution “Rev. Leifeste made the motion that the proposition of merging the congregations of Norhill Methodist Episcopal Church and Woodland Methodist Episcopal Church, South, be presented to the two separate congregations with the recommendation of the committee that if a merger is agreed upon, a new church be built on the Pecore Street lots, which is in the possession of the Woodland Church, and are free of debt. The motion, seconded by Rev. Landrum, was voted upon unanimously.”

 

 

At the next meeting of the committee on January 26, 1938, Rev. Landrum reported the Woodland Church, by a standing vote of members present during the January 15, 1938, worship service, enthusiastically gave a unanimous vote of confidence to merge the two congregations. Rev. Leifeste reported the Norhill Church limited the vote taken on January 22, 1938, to members 21 years old and over. This secret ballot reflected a six to one majority in favor of the merger. Also at this meeting it was decided that each church, at a quarterly conference, appoint a committee of seven members to act in behalf of their respective churches, and to be charged with the auspicious task of acting as the Steering Committee for this momentous undertaking. The following were appointed -

 

 

 

                                                      April 30, 1938

 

Fellow Worker for Christ:

 

While waiting a chance to speak personally to you and your Church, I want to convey to you my heartiest congratulations on the movement of your congregation for merger with the Norhill Methodist Church. This project is becoming more widely acclaimed than you perhaps realize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.    Frank Smith

 

Word of the merger soon spread throughout Houston with favorable comments from all religious denominations in addition to many positive news items in the local newspapers. Warm words of praise and wishes for a brilliant success were received in unanimously adopted resolutions from the Houston Ministerial Alliance and also from the Methodist Pastor’s Association.

 

City-wide prestige was augments by one of the most unusual programs ever held in Houston, when Bishop Clinton S. Quinn, C.S.Q., of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, hosted a testimonial luncheon on May 6, 1938 at the Texas State Hotel honoring the Rev. Leifeste and Rev. Landrum. This meeting was attended by more than 100 significant churchmen and laymen from the city-at-large. Pastors representing four other Protestant denominations, in addition to a priest and rabbi, praised our pastors’ work in pioneering practical Christian unity.

 

Those in attendance included - Dr. Charles L. King, First Presbyterian Church; Dr. Harry G. Knowles, First Christian Church; Dr. Luther M. Schleicher, Zion Lutheran Church; Dr. William States Jacobs, Independent Church; Dr. F.B. Thorn, Second Baptist Church; Rev. James Patrick McCarthy, Christ the King Catholic Church; and Dr. Henry Barns ton, Temple Beth Israel. John T. Scott, prominent lay leader of the First Methodist Church and president of the First National Bank also spoke and, although unable to attend in person, Jesse H. Jones, Reconstruction Finance Commission Chairman and prominent lay leader of St. Paul’s Methodist Church, wired his regrets and salutations from Washington D.C. After talks praising the two pastors’ courage and spirit of unity, Fred L. Wadley, lay leader of the First Christian Church, presented Rev. Leifeste and Rev. Landrum with bound booklets commemorating the occasion and containing signatures of those present.

 

The efforts for unification culminated in a glorious service on May 8, 1938, at the Norhill Church when, by “The Scratch of a pen Heard ‘Round the World,” as proclaimed in the Houston Times headline of the day, the covenant of consolidation was signed by Rev. Leifeste of Norhill and Rev. Landrum of Woodland. A children’s procession, led by Billy Leifeste and Lawrence

 

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Diocese of Texas….

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Landrum, Jr., sons of the pastors, carried the scroll containing the sacred document to the altar where the signing ceremony was carried out. After messages from each pastor the service closed with the hymn, “Blest Be The Tie That Binds.”

 

The Houston Post described the significance of the service with the following editorial on May 8, 1938 -

 

Significant in church history and in the efforts of men to safeguard civilization are brief ceremonials which will be held here today in sounding the close of the careers of two old churches and the birth of a new and greater one.

 

 

 

 

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The whereabouts of the covenant agreement is not known at this book’s publication date. It has not been found at the church and it is not known whether or not it was placed in the cornerstone at St. Mark’s.

 

And why was the signing of this instrument “Heard ‘Round the World?”

 

Because the general conferences had not yet voted to merge and their next meetings where this action could possibly be taken were more than a year away. However, out two far-sighted Houston churches had joined hands to form a common spiritual bond, a unified church. This caused much excitement in religious circles, Methodist and other denominations, alike.

 

A year later, on May 10, 1939, The Houston Post reported on the proceedings of the merging general conference meeting in Kansas City. Under the headline, “Methodists Proclaim One United Church,” the account told of the unanimous vote to merge the three branches of American Methodism - the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church. More than 10,000 persons attended this ceremony which climaxed 23 years of unification dreams and work to make one Methodist Church.

 

A name for our new church was needed and the pastors sent letters to five groups of interested citizens for a vote. Those groups included:

 

            Members and Friends

            Neighbors and Friends

            Our Fellow Clergy of Houston

            Significant Methodist Laymen of Houston

            Significant Houstonians

            Friends of the Norhill and Woodland Churches

 

Copies of those letters are in the Heritage Room. They state a ballot with five suggested names was enclosed, but now, 50 years later, no actual ballot can be located and no member can recall the names suggested. Obviously, St. Mark’s was the first choice, whatever the makeup of the names on the list.

 

The minutes of the Steering Committee meeting of June 27, 1938, reflect the following:

 

 

It was soon thereafter that both congregations voted in favor of this new name, St. Mark’s.