One hundred seventy years of history sits at the corner of Church and Division streets.
Pilot Point First United Methodist Church is there, and although the building has changed over the decades, for a handful of its members it's the only church they ever called home.
“I was baptized as an infant,” Administrative Assistant Janie Elmore said.
She lived catty-corner to the church.
“Back then, in those days, you had church morning and night on Sunday,” Elmore said. “And so I would come to Sunday school. I don't think until I got bigger we stayed for church. We went to night church. It's what we called it, night church.”
Similarly, Paulette Coxsey remembered her family coming for Sunday school.
It was in that dome church that Paulette and her husband, Darrell Coxsey, were married back in 1977.
For the couple, that is a cherished memory at the Dome Church, which burned down in 1984.
“The ceiling to the dome was stained glass,” Darrell said. “The whole ceiling and the windows were all beautiful stained glass. The woodwork on the rail, nailing rail and all that was just immaculate. It was stadium seating. It was sloped. And the pews curved around, and there were three sections. And that's what I remember most about it—and the fact that I was shaking like a leaf.” Even though Paulette and Darrell live in Mountain Springs, and Elmore in Whitesboro, they still make the trek every Sunday and then some to attend service.
“My mom grew up in this church and she's going to be 88 in a few weeks,” Paulette said. “She still comes.”
Dedicated members still return generation after generation.
“We actually have a member here that's a member of this congregation [whose] great-great-great-grandfather founded this church,” Darrell said. “He was a circuit rider, and he started this church, then he started Denton and five others.”
The church remains small but mighty.
“That's a choice we made 20 years ago; we decided we're going to remain the small downtown church that feels like family,” Darrell said.
He attributes it to what keeps him coming, and the rest agreed.
At one point, Darrell recalled the church packed with people, averaging around 120 members; now it has around 55. Even when the church had as few as 35 members, it’s been resilient.
“One thing about this church that I've never seen in any other is it always makes it,” Darrell said. “... The day they opened this new church up in ’86, it was completely paid for after the fire. Completely. We had donations. We’ve got a book in there with all the donations.”
The congregation has continued to be active in the community, offering help and donations to the Shepherd Storehouse, Lovepacs, and the Pilot Point Back-to-School-Bash, as well as helping to reopen the senior center, the members said.
“We're a small church, and you don't just hear our name out there and in conversations, but we're the root of this community,” Darrell said. “We just quietly work in the background and do stuff that needs to be done. It's just the way this church is.”
Pastor Cindy Kennedy came there in 2020 and was pleasantly surprised by what they offered.
“They had a lot for such a tiny church,” Kennedy said.
In her time, she has also encouraged members to get involved in the theater and the arts, and even Darrell, who described himself as a skeptic, has enjoyed it.
The church also kicked off what has grown into the Pilot Point Community Arts, a separate nonprofit.
“It's always interesting to come to a new church and learn the history, learn the things that people are proud of and that they feel strongly about,” Kennedy said. “And then I feel like my job is to come alongside people and push them just a little bit, maybe out of their comfort zone.”
The church welcomes everyone to celebrate its 170th anniversary on Sept. 27.
“We've been here 170 years, and I don't see any reason why we can't do another 170,” Darrell said.
From 9-10:30 a.m., people will come and go and service will start at 10:30 with a proclamation from Mayor Chad Major and performances, followed by a BBQ, all of which will be open to the community.
