Local Church History
In September of 1879 a few families in the area built the first permanent place for Christian worship in Coppell on an acre of land owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Stringfellow known as the corner of Bethel Road and Coppell Road. The first pastor to 
shepherd the young Methodist congregation was Rev. J. B. Bennett. As the only place of worship in the area, the building was shared with area Baptist for several years. In keeping with the Methodist tradition of commitment to aiding the community, the church also served as the first school in Coppell for ten years.
By the late 1930’s it was determined that the old church was beyond repair and a new church building was needed. In time, the members were able to raise the $700 necessary to construct a new building on the original deeded property. Consecrated in May of 1939, the building became home to the eighty-eight members of First United Methodist Church of Coppell. It remained so for the next 45 years as the church continued to grow.
In 1978 the members of the church recognized a need for a brand new church building. Five acres of land were purchased at the intersection of Bethel School Road and Heartz Road. With direction from planning and building committees and donations from various capital fund drives, a new church home was completed in September 1984. The stained glass window from the original church was placed in the Narthex of the new church. On November 4, 1984, the church was dedicated at a special service led by Rev. David Carr.
With the move into the new facility, the building on the original site in Old Town became St. Ann’s Mission of the Roman Catholic Church in 1984. It was demolished in January 1994.
The church’s new home featured a 200 seat sanctuary, six classrooms, a kitchen, nursery and office. It was the first phase in a 3 phase master plan for the church. In June 1986, a new building committee was formed to start Phase 2. An additional education building was added in 1988 providing a fellowship space that was later dedicated as B.J. Sma
rtt Hall, and eighteen more classrooms for the rapidly growing church.
With membership growing by leaps and bounds, the need for a new building with a much larger sanctuary became quickly apparent. On March 5, 2000, under the leadership of Rev. John Rosenburg, services were held in the new 1000 seat sanctuary. Attendance was so large that folding chairs filled the Narthex in order to seat those attending. The new addition included twenty new classrooms, an office complex, a large nursery and commissary as well as a large new gathering area named Wesley Hall. The original stained glass window was moved to its present home in the new chapel.
Not surprisingly, another long-range planning committee is working towards planning a new Family Life Center to be constructed on the corner of Heartz and Van Beeber Road directly across from the church.
First United Methodist Church has a rich history dating back nearly 130 years. Our future is strong as we continue to make disciples for Jesus Christ.