In 1889 a young minister, Jackson B. Cox, was assigned to the newly developing Eddy (later Carlsbad) area by the West Texas Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church south. In true Methodist circuit riding tradition, Reverend Cox preached on outlying farms and ranches, as well as in the one-room schoolhouse located at south Main and Bronson Streets. Time for use of this building had to be shared with ministers of other denominations.
Rev. Jackson B. Cox
From early newspaper accounts it appears that the Methodists, under the leadership of Rev. Cox, were the first denomination to organize a congregation in Eddy. This occurred in April of 1890. The earliest available roll shows twenty members. At first, the little group met in the school building, in a tent, tabernacle, or in members’ homes. When the townsite was laid out, the developers designated lots to be given to several denominations for future church construction. The Methodist church site was at the corner of Shaw and Halagueno Streets as it has remained now for more than one hundred years. Rev. Cox was very active in soliciting funds, but construction of the church building, at a cost of $7,000, went slowly. According to the weekly newspaper, the Eddy Argus, the first service in the newly completed Methodist Church was held on Sunday, September 10, 1892. By this time, Rev. Cox had returned to Texas for further schooling and had been followed by Rev. Robert Hodgson. When the new Mexico Annual Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church south, was organized in late August of 1890 the Eddy church became a part of that conference.
1892 Eddy Methodist Church Building
In 1899 the citizens voted to change the name of the town to “Carlsbad”. The community continued to grow, as did the Methodist congregation. By 1916 church membership totaled 445 with Sunday School enrollment at 200. There were classes in every nook and cranny of the little one-room church and in the two small frame buildings which had been added behind it.
 |
 |
| 1910 Carlsbad Methodist Church Sunday School Class | Early Church Gathering |
By 1925 the space had become so inadequate that the decision was made to build a new church. The little building was torn down that year and church services moved to the high school auditorium, located at the present school administration site. Much of the construction on the new church was done by the pastor, W.G. Gaston, and the Methodist Men with the women and young people doing all they could to raise money. By 1927 the church basement was completed. Services were held there until the upper part of the building was completed in 1931. The depression years came and funds were scarce. It was 1942 when payment on the debt was finally completed.
1932 Carlsbad Methodist Church Building
In 1950 a new parsonage was built on Shaw Street, directly across the street north of the church. It replaced the small frame parsonage that had stood just south of the church on Halagueno Street. A new educational building, south of the sanctuary, was completed in 1951. In 1960 the sanctuary was remodeled and air-conditioned. The present parsonage on W. Riverside Drive was purchased in 1974.
With the growth in membership and attendance and the weakened condition of the sanctuary by the late 1970’s, there was a feasibility study on remodeling versus rebuilding a new sanctuary. The congregation voted on September 10, 1977 to approve construction of a new sanctuary, narthex, and office wing on the south end of the block. On Christmas Eve of 1978 the first service was held in the beautiful new sanctuary just completed on the south end of the church block. Soon thereafter, the old sanctuary was demolished and the space converted to a parking lot.
In 1990 First United Methodist Church-Carlsbad celebrated its centennial with several special events through the year. One hundred years for Christ and Carlsbad.
On January 12, 1992 a disastrous fire destroyed the sanctuary and damaged the narthex. Members and friends rose to the situation admirably. Church services continued without interruption in the fellowship hall, other activities continued as normally as possible, while work on rebuilding began promptly. The rebuilt sanctuary, with a few changes and improvements, was consecrated on February 28, 1993. The beautiful pipe organ was consecrated on October 10, 1993.
 |
 |
| First United Methodist Church of Carlsbad, NM | FUMC Education Wing |
In 1996 the education wing and fellowship hall were renovated and modernized. First United Methodist Church entered 1997 with property evaluation just over three million dollars. In 1999 the church, with 716 members on the roll, acquired the remainder of the city block on which the church sits today.
United Methodist History
 |
 |
| John Wesley | Charles Wesley |
In 1729 in England, a small group of Oxford University students were ridiculed as “Bible Bigots,” the “Holy Club” and “Methodists” because they spent so much time in methodical prayer and bible reading. Led by John and Charles Wesley, the students held their ground against jeering students and went out to preach and pray with those considered to be the underbelly of English society. The United Methodist church is the result of the 1939 merger of three Methodist bodies (Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South and Methodist Protestant churches), and a 1968 union of the Evangelical United Brethren and The Methodist churches.
The United Methodist Church shares a common history and heritage with other Methodist and Wesleyan bodies. The lives and ministries of John Wesley (1703-1791) and of his brother, Charles (1707-1788), mark the origin of their common roots. Both of the Wesley brothers had transforming religious experiences in May, 1738. In the years following, the Wesleys succeeded in leading a lively renewal movement in the Church of England. As the Methodist movement grew, it became apparent that their ministry would spread to the American colonies as some Methodists made the exhausting and hazardous Atlantic voyage to the New World.
Organized Methodism in America began as a lay movement. Among its earliest leaders were Robert Strawbridge, an immigrant farmer who organized work about 1760 in Maryland and Virginia, Philip Embury and his cousin, Barbara Heck, who began work in New York in 1766, and Captain Thomas Webb, whose labors were instrumental in Methodist beginnings in Philadelphia in 1767. The first conference of Methodist preachers in the colonies was held in Philadelphia in 1773. The ten who attended took several important actions. They pledged allegiance to Wesley’s leadership and agreed that they would not administer the sacraments because they were laypersons. Their people were to receive the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper at the local Anglican parish church. They emphasized strong discipline among the societies and preachers. A system of regular conferences of the preachers was inaugurated similar to those Wesley had instituted in England to conduct the business of the Methodist movement. The American Revolution had a profound impact on Methodism. John Wesley’s Toryism and his writings against the revolutionary cause did not enhance the image of Methodism among many who supported independence. Furthermore, a number of Methodist preachers refused to bear arms to aid the patriots.
When independence from England had been won, Wesley recognized that changes were necessary in American Methodism. He sent Thomas Coke to America to superintend the work with Asbury. Coke brought with him a prayer book titled “The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America”, prepared by Wesley and incorporating his revision of the Church of England’s Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. Two other preachers, Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey, whom Wesley had ordained, accompanied Coke. Wesley’s ordinations set a precedent that ultimately permitted Methodists in America to become an independent church.
In December, 1784, the famous Christmas Conference of preachers was held in Baltimore at Lovely Lane Chapel to chart the future course of the movement in America. Most of the American preachers attended, probably including two African Americans, Harry Hosier and Richard Allen. It was at this gathering that the movement became organized as The Methodist Episcopal Church in America.
In the years following the Christmas Conference, The Methodist Episcopal Church published its first Discipline (1785), adopted a quadrennial General Conference, the first of which was held in 1792, drafted a Constitution in 1808 refined its structure, established a publishing house, and became an ardent proponent of revivalism and the camp meeting.
As The Methodist Episcopal Church was in its infancy, two other churches were being formed. In their earliest years they were composed almost entirely of German-speaking people. The first was founded by Philip William Otterbein (1726-1813) and Martin Boehm (1725-1812). Otterbein, a German Reformed pastor, and Boehm, a Mennonite, preached an evangelical message and experience similar to the Methodists. In 1800 their followers formally organized the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. A second church, The Evangelical Association, was begun by Jacob Albright (1759-1808), a Lutheran farmer and tilemaker in eastern Pennsylvania who had been converted and nurtured under Methodist teaching. The Evangelical Association was officially organized Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church.
Today there are over 40,000 United Methodist Churches with over 11 million members.