07/26/2026
Tomorrow is a sad day for me, and I believe it is a sad day for Lucas as well. It is the last worship service at Good Shepherd UMC in Lucas, TX. A church that has existed for 132 years. Its 133rd "birthday" would have been on December 4 this year.
The church is going dark to be replanted as a new church in 6-18 months.
I have attended church there for 26 years and have had the honor of serving as the church secretary and, later, administrator for 18 years.
I have known some wonderful people over the years: Milford and Velma Spurgin, Jack and Edna Bridges, Alice Pharr, Kenneth and Patsy Lews, Carl and Ingrid Phillips, to name a few. The current attendees are all wonderful people, and they have been a family to me over the years.
For the last month, I have been sharing information with the congregation about our church history and other information. Some of the information I only have from 2007 to the present, when I started collecting and saving the data. Some came from archives. Since I know several of my FB friends are former attendees of GSUMC, I thought you might be interested in what I have been sharing with the congregation.
The History of the Three Churches
December 4, 1893
1st Methodist worship held in Winningkoff School
House
April 22, 1896
1st worship held at Blythe Chapel Methodist Church at Winningkoff. Historical marker in place.
1920s
2nd Church Building ("Little White Church")
1950s
The church building was renovated, electrical service was added, and the heating system was converted from coal to butane.
February 1967
The church building was moved from East Winningkoff to the present site on W. Lucas Road. The bridge on Winningkoff was too narrow to move the building across, so an ingenious solution was implemented: moving the church down into the creek bed and back up onto the road. When it was set in place in Lucas, the church was renamed from Blythe Chapel Methodist Church to First Methodist Church of Lucas. Membership was 62.
April 13, 1980
First worship service in the new Sanctuary.
1995
New parsonage built
June 24, 2007
Church votes to change name to
Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.
October 10, 2010
Burning of the Mortgage
Rose Marie Childs Fellowship Center
With generous gifts from Bill Childs and many others, we held a consecration service for the Rose Marie Childs Fellowship Center on March 19, 2023.
Bill and Marie Childs had many conversations over the years about what they could do for the church. Upon Marie's passing, Bill spoke with others in the church, and the need for a building to host dinners and concerts was identified as pressing. So, the process began; then COVID was upon us, and everything came to a halt.
Once we were open again, we held the groundbreaking, and the construction process began.
We all owe Jim Peters a thank you. Bill Childs said that without Jim Peters' oversight, the RMC Fellowship Center would not have been built. Jim was instrumental in making the Fellowship Center a reality.
Since its opening, weekly exercise classes, game days, potlucks, and celebrations have been going strong. The community has used the RMC Fellowship Center for graduations, baby showers, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, a Pinewood Derby, Family Promise board meetings, homeschool Color Guard practice, concerts, LifeLine Screening, and other celebrations.
Our church family will be forever grateful for the generosity that gave us so many opportunities to serve the community and create memories.
Good Shepherd UMC's Mission Projects: 2008-Present -
Project Transformation
Bed Start
Cockrell Hill UMC
Scholarships for Local Children to go to Science Camp
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts
ESL
Kairos Outside
Relay for Life
Heifer International
Daraja
Family Promise
Dorcas Heart
Fill the Bus
Harper's Helpers
Lovejoy Mentors
UMCOR Disaster Relief
Samaritan Purse
No More Malaria
Habitat for Humanity
Yam Jam
Canned Goods for COVID
Ceballus – Panama
Jelly Jars
Nar-Anon
ECI (Early Childhood Program)
VBS
ACO
Traffick 911/Hungry for Hope
Fill the Backpacks (in Princeton and Allen)
Angel Tree (several years)
Provided Thanksgiving dinner baskets
Calendar Girls
TOPS
Good Shepherd Learning Academy
and many more over the years.
Good Shepherd UMC groups/people who worked together to help our community and church.
UMW – United Methodist Women
· Brought the community into GSUMC with Book Reviews, Concerts,
Guest Speakers, etc.
· Raised money to help improve our buildings and property.
· Donated to charities, local and global.
· Provided fellowship
MACHO MEN – Men and Christ Helping Others
· Helped people in the community with yard work and easy home repairs.
· Worked together to improve the church buildings and property.
· Provided fellowship
Calendar Girls
· Created Advent Calendars to raise money for missions and the church
· Provided fellowship
Sewing with a Purpose
· Made pillowcases and blankets for The Children's Advocacy Center
· Bibs for the nursing home, placemats for Meals on Wheels
· Gifts for our Lord's Table Christmas Sale and the Spring Sale.
If you see any of our members around Lucas in the next few weeks, say a kind word to them. This is a huge loss for all of us, and we are saddened that we will no longer be serving our community.
