History and the safeguarding of it is America’s greatest treasure. Think about how many times you have visited national, local or regional landmarks and are in awe at the quality of their preservation. There is nothing better than exploring a building’s architectural history and the remnants it holds, or landmarks that highlight a spot in this country where something occurred.
On Sunday September 20, 2009, as the finale to its year-long 100th Anniversary Celebration, Trinity East United Methodist Church became a landmark in the State of Texas when the Harris County Historical Commission dedicated and unveiled a Historical Marker for the church at its 2418 McGowen St location in the northeast section of Third Ward in Houston.
The ceremony included some of the biggest names in Texas along with some pretty big names from the United Methodist Church including keynote speaker, the Texas Annual Conference’s Central South District Superintendent, Rev. Lawrence Young. Clergy making an appearance included Rev. Dr. Darnell Walker, Retired; Rev. DeFarris Gooden, Retired; Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Cox, former South District Superintendent, Retired; Rev. Constance Gold and Rev. Dr. Robert McGee, the current Senior Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, the Mother Church of Trinity East, who read the Historical Marker inscription during the program upon its unveiling; and of course Trinity East’s own Senior Pastor, the Rev. Bryan Keith Dalco who served as the spiritual leader throughout the program.
Members present from the Harris County Historical Commission included Mrs. Willie Lee Gay, who presented the Church with its Historical Marker, Mrs. Debra Sloan, Mrs. Susan Armstrong, Ms. Patricia Prather, Mr. Darrell Beck, and Mrs. Bernice Mistroit. Also on hand for this grand occasion was former City of Houston Mayor Dr. Lee P. Brown and former First Lady Francis Young Brown. Not to mention the church was packed with its own set of very special people, as its sick and shut-in members decided that on this Sunday they would make an effort and have their caretakers bring them to church. The Buffalo Soldiers served as the Color Guard for the event with Colonel Cameron Wells, Jr., Retired serving as the Sergeant at Arms. The chairs for this event were Mrs. Alpha Henderson and Mrs. Juanita Jackson.
Trinity East United Methodist Church is an offspring of Trinity United Methodist Church, the oldest African American Methodist Church in Houston, whose origin begins from the first Houston Methodist Church, organized in 1841 for Caucasian members. The original 68 members of Trinity Methodist Church included 32 African Americans, both free and enslaved. The church at that time was located above a store on Capital Ave between Milam and Louisiana streets in Downtown Houston. Today, a monument to the origin of the Methodist Church in Houston is erected at 801 Texas Ave in front of the Houston Chronicle building. In 1908, Trinity Methodist Church members who migrated to Third Ward found it inconvenient to get Downtown. It was then that William Young, together with other parishioners organized a new church on the corner of Dowling and McGowen streets nicknaming it “Little Trinity”, thus the beginning of Trinity East Methodist Church, which is now Trinity East United Methodist Church, with the United being inserted after the creation of The United Methodist Church upon the merger of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church, April 23, 1968.
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