On a corner of West Third Street in historic downtown Irving, Texas, a stone sanctuary with a tall stained-glass window has stood since 1937, and a bronze bell - the same one cast shortly after the First World War - has rung for nearly a century. First Methodist Church Irving grew up alongside the city itself: founded six years before the town of Irving received its official Texas designation in 1914, the congregation is now more than a hundred years old and still worships on the same block where the first members built a modest white frame meetinghouse in 1908. After a deliberate season of prayer and congregational discernment, the church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church and is now part of the Global Methodist Church, working through the MidTexas Conference of that denomination.
From a Brush Arbor to a Bell-Tower Beacon
The story of First Methodist Irving is the story of Irving itself. The first church members met under a brush arbor at the close of a revival held by the Reverend M. H. Read, pastor of the Grand Prairie Methodist Church. Fourteen people joined that day, and the school's building was offered for worship services. A box supper raised the church's first seventy-five dollars - its very first bank account. By the end of 1908 a small white-frame church stood on a lot donated by charter member A. J. Clark, at the corner now known as Ohio Street and Third Street. Five baptisms came on August 4, 1909, and within a few years the church had to be expanded.
In 1910 the small pox epidemic that swept North Texas claimed the church's pastor, Reverend Thomas Moore. Five short-term pastors followed until Irving was officially recognized as a Texas town in 1914, by which time membership had grown to ninety-seven. By 1920 the town counted 357 residents and the church had 257 members, in part because of the bell. Mrs. W. L. Noah, who led the Sunday School class that raised the money for it, watched the bell ring out across the cotton fields every Sunday morning. Children took turns pulling the rope fifteen minutes before Sunday School, again at the start of class, and again as a call to worship. That same bell sits on the colonnade leading into the Sanctuary today, and a fresh generation of children still tug the rope to signal the start of worship.
In 1937 the congregation dedicated a stone Sanctuary on the northeast corner of Ohio and Third, with double doors facing south and a large stained glass window above them. Sixteen smaller stained glass windows line the south, east, and west walls, each marked with the name of a donor or honoree. A 1975 fire damaged the surrounding buildings but spared the Sanctuary, and the rebuilding that followed added a stone vestibule, a Parlor, and a Bride's Room. In the 1950s a two-story Education Building went up adjacent to the Sanctuary, and a 1980s Family Life Center added a full gym, a kitchen, and additional Sunday School space. The most ambitious project came at the end of the twentieth century, when a five-phase plan produced a new Sanctuary on the site of an old parking lot, dedicated in December 2002 with 1,291 people in worship across two services.
A New Chapter in the Global Methodist Church
After a months-long process of disaffiliation from the North Texas Conference and the United Methodist Church, First Methodist Irving became part of the Global Methodist Church. The transition was marked on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023, when Reverend Shea Reyenga began a new chapter in the church's 115-year history. Holy Week that year was a community-wide celebration: First Methodist Irving was joined by four other Irving churches in bringing Holy Week worship to Heritage Park, just east of the main building in historic downtown Irving, including a Good Friday musical titled "God So Loved" and an Easter sunrise service in the park alongside the sanctuary service.
Sunday in the Sanctuary
Sunday mornings at First Methodist Irving follow a steady, two-part rhythm. At 9:15 AM Sunday Groups meet across the Education Building and the Family Life Center, with classes for every age. The Challengers Class (Room 306) is a discussion-format Bible study for mid-ages, older couples, and singles, while the Kum Doubles (Room 315) brings couples and singles together for Biblically-centered lessons and nights out. Pathfinders (Room 103 in the Family Life Center) is a long-running fellowship for seasoned seniors, ages seventy and up. Families and singles in their thirties through fifties who primarily speak Spanish gather for Nueva Vida en Cristo in Room 304. A Young Adults group meets for fellowship and Bible study as well.
At 10:30 AM the Sanctuary service features a blended style of music, weaving traditional hymns with newer songs under the direction of Minister of Music Rusty King. The service is livestreamed each Sunday on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel, so members who are traveling or homebound can worship alongside those in the pews. The same livestream reaches extended family in other states and countries, a development that began during the COVID-19 pandemic when worship moved first to Facebook Live, then to a more sophisticated YouTube setup with monitors and a sound board.
Children, Nursery, and Family Worship
Children are welcome at every service. On the first floor, the nursery cares for infants through four-year-olds at 9:15 AM, with Bible stories, art activities, and time to play while parents attend their Sunday Group. At the same hour, Kid's Zone invites children in PreK through fifth grade into engaging, dynamic Bible lessons designed to make church something children look forward to. During the 10:30 worship service, the nursery remains open for ages four and under, and a Cry Room at the back of the Sanctuary is accessible from the hallway; ushers are glad to point families there. Older children are invited into the sanctuary itself, where activity bags stocked with puzzles and games keep small hands busy.
On Wednesday evenings during the school year, children's worship takes the form of a VBS-style ministry called Midweek Kid's Zone, running from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. Each spring, the church holds Vacation Bible School, whose 2025 theme, "Faith Heroes," walked children through the lives of Moses, David, Esther, Peter, and Paul, encouraging them to trust like Moses, have courage like David, be bold like Esther, have faith like Peter, and persevere like Paul.
Youth: Refuge Sunday and Midweek
First Methodist Irving welcomes youth from sixth through twelfth grade into a program called Refuge. Refuge Sunday meets at 9:15 AM in the Youth Worship Center for fellowship and Bible study. Refuge Midweek gathers on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM during the school year, beginning with a shared meal and open gym time before moving into worship, a message, and small-group discussion. The Revive student ministry layers in special events: Revive Winter Mission is a service-focused weekend, Revive Winter Retreat is a Spirit-filled weekend retreat, and Revive Youth Camp fills the early summer for sixth through twelfth graders. Younger children have their own versions, with Revive Kids Winter and Revive Kids Camp offered for third through sixth graders.
Midweek Oasis: Wednesdays Around the Table
Wednesday evenings at the church are designed around a ministry called Midweek Oasis, which the church describes as "a place for the whole family and people of all stages in life to gather, eat, fellowship, and grow deeper as a community of faith who puts God first." From September through May, one of several cooking teams gathers to prepare a meal served that evening, with men, women, and youth eating together before breaking into age-appropriate programs: Kid's Zone for children, Refuge Midweek for youth, and adult studies for parents and other adults. The Oasis Meal is itself a ministry; volunteers willing to cook, serve, or clean up are always welcome.
Adults in Bible Study and Service
Beyond Sunday morning classes, First Methodist Irving offers a weekly Women's Bible Study on Thursdays at 10:00 AM, with seasonal studies that draw women from across the congregation. A Wednesday morning gathering at 7:00 AM in Hargrove Hall - the Wednesday Work Crew - has been meeting since the early 1990s for fellowship, prayer, coffee, and donuts before tackling maintenance and grounds projects around the church. Office Volunteers assist the church staff with phones, visitors, and bulletins on a flexible schedule. Starting Point classes are offered several times a year for newcomers, visitors, and anyone wanting to take a next step in their faith journey.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music holds a central place in the life of the church. The Chancel Choir leads the congregation in worship on Sundays and sings for the Good Friday Seven Last Words service each spring. Children's music is also a regular feature: each spring the Kid's Zone performs a Children's Musical for the congregation, with recent years featuring "Rescue in the Night," a musical about the prophet Daniel's faithfulness in the lions' den. Special seasonal services such as Christmas Eve and Easter bring together choir, soloists, instrumentalists, and a full orchestra for congregational worship.
Parent's Day Out
First Methodist Irving runs Parent's Day Out (PDO), a weekday preschool program for young children that grew out of the church's former day school and reopened in 2002 when the new Sanctuary was dedicated. By 2018 PDO had reached record enrollment and continues to serve families from the wider Irving community. The Parents Day Out Director, Jennifer Tratree, oversees the program, which uses the children's building on the church campus.
Sack Lunches and the Mission of Welcome
As a downtown church, First Methodist Irving frequently encounters people experiencing homelessness. The Sack Lunch Ministry prepares and distributes sack lunches to neighbors in need; volunteers are invited to make sandwiches, donate non-perishable food items, or help pass out lunches in the office. The church has also served as a host site for a once-weekly evening meal for people who are homeless or in need, partnering with fourteen other area churches, and has participated in Family Promise of Irving to shelter homeless families in the community.
Local Mission Partners
Volunteers from First Methodist Irving serve throughout the Irving area through partnerships with several organizations:
- Crisis Ministries, which serves the homeless population of North Texas.
- Many Helping Hands, a local volunteer network.
- Irving Cares, the largest food pantry and emergency assistance agency in Irving, which the church supports with volunteer hours and food collection.
- ICAN Irving, an interfaith advocacy network.
Church members also participate in the MidTexas Conference's two international mission partnerships in Bulgaria and Costa Rica.
Guatemala and the Missionaries the Church Supports
Since 2016, mission teams from First Methodist Irving have traveled each year to Guatemala, serving the people of Santa Maria de Jesus by hosting Vacation Bible School, building at Monte de los Olivos Church, and painting at the Nueva Vida School. Beginning in 2014, the Guatemala team completed the construction of a pastor's training center. The church also supports several full-time missionaries through prayer and financial partnership:
- Scott and Vicky Satre, serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Cameroon.
- Darrow and Vicki Frazier, serving with Cadence International at Camp Hansen in Okinawa.
- Skip and Amy, serving in the Maghreb Partnership.
What First Methodist Irving Believes
First Methodist Irving belongs to the Global Methodist Church, whose mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe. The church summarizes its beliefs around eight core doctrines.
The church affirms one God who is Creator and Sustainer of all things, existing eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired and have authority as the only written Word of God; the Holy Spirit preserves Scripture and speaks God's truth through it. Humankind was created in the image of God, but that image was marred in every part by sin beginning with Adam and Eve, leaving every person in need of a right relationship with God that they cannot achieve on their own.
God's eternal Son was born of a virgin, suffered, died, and rose from the dead on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father making people right with the Father through faith. God justifies all who trust in Jesus, and the justified begin to live in holiness through that faith. Sanctification is the call, in a moment of full surrender, to whole-hearted love for God and others, a journey lived daily by faith in Christ Jesus, with God's grace continuing to cleanse the believer. The church also affirms the assurance believers have that they are children of God, and the personal return of Christ with the bodily resurrection of all believers, final judgment, and eternal reward and punishment.
The Team That Leads the Church
Reverend Shea Reyenga serves as Lead Pastor and most weeks brings the message from the pulpit. Reverend Marcus Mills serves as Associate Pastor. Will Gregory directs the Youth & College ministry. Rusty King leads the music ministry. Jennifer Cox directs Children's Ministry, while Wende Roark coordinates the nursery. Jennifer Tratree directs Parent's Day Out. Jimmy Bellew serves as Finance & Operations Director and writes the weekly sermon summaries, and Robert Dailey leads facilities. Together the staff supports a congregation that gathers on the same corner where fourteen members joined under a brush arbor more than a century ago.
Visiting First Methodist Irving
First Methodist Irving is located at 211 West Third Street in the heart of historic downtown Irving. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Visitors are invited to come as they are - on Sunday morning you will see everything from business suits and dresses to t-shirts and shorts. There is ample parking on the south and west sides of the campus, with designated accessible parking spaces in the small lot on the south side of the main building. The main entrances to the building are on the south and west sides of the Sanctuary. Anyone considering a wedding at the church is invited to review the published Wedding Policies and Procedures.