The History of St. Paul's
Since its beginnings in 1905, St. Paul's Church has been a place where people meet God. In tribute to that heritage, the St. Paul's family today remains deeply committed to providing spiritual leadership for the city of Houston.
While every new year brings growth and change, our mission remains the same. Year after year, we seek to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in a central urban environment, by building a community of faith in which people can experience the love and hope that will transform their own lives and those of others. We look to the future with confidence and excitement.
1905 - 1918 1927 - 1930 1930s - 1940s 1950s - 1960s
1970s - 1980s 1990s 21st Century
1905 - 1918 From Dream to Reality
St. Paul's was conceived as an act of gratitude. As an offering to God after her recovery from a serious illness in 1903, Mrs. J.O. Ross (Ellen) contributed lots on the corner of Milam and McGowen Streets for the establishment of a new 
Methodist church, in what was then known as the "South End" of Houston.
In December 1905, a group of men met in the Ross home to form the official board of the new church. The first worship service was held in the old Auditorium at the corner of Main and McGowen on Christmas Eve 1905. Bishop Joseph S. Key, preaching to 1,000 people in the old Auditorium, formally constituted the new church, with 153 charter members, on January 14, 1906. Recognizing that "South End" might someday become inappropriate, Bishop Key suggested the name "St. Paul's." The Charter rolls were held open and the charter membership increased to 254.
In the first years, worship services were held in a small frame building in the Ross's yard, known as Good Fellowship Chapel.
St. Paul's opened its first building on Milam and McGowen on January 31, 1909 - The architecture was Grecian, with a dome in Byzantine style. The membership had reached 600. The building was finally dedicated in 1918, when the building debt was paid.
1927 - 1930 A Brand New Building
After much growth it was determined that expansion was not feasible, so the Milam/McGowen property was sold to Second Baptist Church in 1927. Land was purchased from the Hermann estate for the present building at Main and Calumet. The architect chosen was Jesse Jones' protégé Alfred C. Finn, who would gain fame as the designer of the San Jacinto Monument, the Gulf Building, the Cullen Building at the University of Houston, and the Coliseum and Music Hall. Groundbreaking took place in April 1929. During construction, the congregation met at Temple Beth Israel and the old San Jacinto High School, both now a part of Houston Community College.
The first worship service was held in the new English Gothic style building on November 2, 1930. Membership in those years had reached almost 1,700.
1930s - 1940s Years of Struggle and Growth
Soon after the new building was completed, the great Depression arrived in Houston, bringing difficult times to St. Paul's.
The congregation worked for the next 20 years to pay off its building debt. Funds were often so tight that if any other buyer could have been found for the massive, elegant structure, the mortgage holder might have foreclosed but the people of St. Paul's perservered. Through all the years of financial struggle, the congregation continued to grow in membership and to support a full range of programs and activities. Finally, in November 1951, the debt was retired and the building dedicated.
1950s - 1960s Today's Church Takes Shape
St. Paul's Church flourished throughout the 1950s and 60s. The active congregation gained city-wide recognition for ministries such as the Coffee Club, one of Houston's first and most successful church singles programs. The Jones Youth Building, designed by St. Paul's member David Baer, was completed in 1958, built on land given by Jesse H. Jones and his foundation, the Houston Endowment.
The St. Paul's Methodist Foundation of Houston was established in 1960 as a permanent endowment to provide the church with a solid financial base. In 1963, an additional lot was purchased at Fannin and Calumet for use as a parking area.
1970s- 1980s Serving Our Community
As the neighborhood around St. Paul's changed, the congregation realized that our central urban location provided an ideal opportunity to serve the wide variety of people in our community through children's programs, music and outreach. Our weekday Mother's Day Out became a full-fledged nursery school in 1973, and under Zane Ann Tigett's direction later grew into St. Paul's School, the first pre-school in Houston accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
In 1980, Organist/Choirmaster Robert Brewer joined Frances Anderson to lead St. Paul's Choir, now an acclaimed 75-voice ensemble that has often sung at Westminster Abbey. In 1981, David Farnsworth donated a 76-rank Schantz pipe organ. In 1983, a tiny, dedicated group of St. Paul's members who started out years before making sandwiches on a desktop became the Emergency Aid Coalition, now a nondenominational organization of over a dozen midtown congregations. It serves thousands of needy clients a year through the Food Pantry, Main Street Clothing Center, Operation I.D., and Aid to Families
1990s
Throughout the 80s and 90s, St. Paul's has focused on maintaining and expanding our strongest ministries - namely, music and worship; mission and outreach; and programs for children, youth, and families.
The Jubilee (1980), Now Is The Time (1985), and Cornerstone (1990) capital campaigns funded the Jones Building's Murfee Center, Wilson Prayer Chapel, and Marr Dining Room, as well as extensive renovations and repairs to the Sanctuary Building. Individual gifts permitted the renovation of the tower bells (1995) and the organ (1996). The Tomorrow's Vision campaign (1996-98) allowed us to purchase a fourth block of land and pave it as our north parking lot. The Calumet and Beyond campaign (1999-2000) funded key projects, including the purchase and redesign of Calumet Street between our buildings. This area is named "Jones Plaza" in memory of A. Gordon Jones and in honor of Grace G. Jones, and has provided a gathering place for St. Paul's members to come.
Looking to the 21st Century
In June of 2001, Tropical Storm Allison took Houston by surprise and caused extensive damage to our building. We then entered into the Rainbow Campaign in order to recover. In addition, we brought the Jones Building up to code for the protection of our children and worked on the new 160 acre donated land at Ole Moon and purchased new church vans for safety reasons.