Highland Park United Methodist Church
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Highland Park United Methodist Church is a
United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
church in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
.


Location

It is located on the campus of
Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...
, at 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75205.Google Maps
/ref>


History

In February 1916, a Methodist congregation met on the campus of Southern Methodist University for the first time to worship together.Highland Park United Methodist Church: Our History
/ref> It was organized as a congregation of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...
(MECS). It was initially named University MECS, but by the fall of that year, the student congregation joined Methodists in the newly forming Town of Highland Park and the church was renamed Highland Park MECS. A year later, in 1917, a temporary church building called "The Little Brown Church" was erected. The current sanctuary was designed by architect
Mark Lemmon Mark Lemmon (1889–1975) was an American architect from Dallas, Texas. Biography Early life Mark Lemmon was born in Gainesville, Texas in 1889. His father was William Leonard and his mother, Cosette (Libscomb) Lemmon. He moved to Sherman, Tex ...
(1889–1975) and
Roscoe DeWitt Roscoe DeWitt (1894–1975) was an American architect. He designed many buildings in Texas, including houses, libraries, hospitals, schools, churches and several buildings on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Early life Roscoe Plimpton ...
(1894-1975) and built in 1927.Texas State Historical Association: Mark Lemmon
/ref> The first service in the sanctuary was held on February 6, 1927, when Dr Umphrey Lee served as the pastor. The Great Depression came and it took 15 years to pay off the debt. When it was paid, the church building was dedicated in 1943. Additions to the Highland Park Methodist sanctuary were made in 1951, 1961, 1983, 2003 and 2018. Dr. Lee left Highland Park Methodist in 1936 and was followed by Dr. Marshall Steel, who served from 1936 to 1957. Following Dr. Steel, Dr. William Dickinson served from 1958 to 1972. He was followed b
Dr. Leighton K. Farrell
the church's longest serving minister, who was appointed in 1972 and served as senior pastor through 1995. In 1995, Mark Craig became Senior Minister. Since 2013, Rev Paul Rasmussen has served as the Senior Minister. In 2010, after much restoration, the Munger Place Church located at 5200 Bryan St, Dallas, TX 75206 in the
Munger Place Historic District The Munger Place Historic District is a neighborhood and historic district in Old East Dallas, Texas (USA), generally lying between North Fitzhugh Avenue on the southwest, Gaston Avenue on the northwest, Henderson Avenue on the northeast, and C ...
,
Old East Dallas Old East Dallas is a community consisting of several neighborhoods in east Dallas, Texas, (USA). In 1890, the city was annexed into Dallas, making Dallas the largest city in Texas.. By Jackie McElhaney and Michael V. Hazel. Retrieved 20 April 2 ...
became the East Dallas satellite of the Highland Park United Methodist Church. As of 2020, it has 15,078 members and organizes missions to sixteen countries worldwide, including
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
,
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. It also sponsors over six hundred inner-city children to attend summer camp every year. In 2017, HPUMC launched a new campus in North Dallas, The Grove Church located at 4525 Rickover Dr, Dallas, TX 75244. In 2019, The Beyond Campaign concluded and built a multipurpose 65,000 square foot youth and DisABILITY ministry building. The building is three stories. The bottom hosts a state of the art disability program with sensory rooms. During the week, Chances coffee shop, led by members with disabilities, serves coffee and pie. The second floor has a youth arcade, gaming center, cafe, art center, and nearly twenty multipurpose rooms. The third floor hosts a basketball gym and a worship center. In 2020, HPUMC announced the launching of a new church that will meet in the House of Blues. It will be one of the first churches planted, planned, started, and led by two women. This is a breakthrough for the modern era. The church is called Uptown Church


Notable church-goers

*Former Dallas Mayor
Robert L. Thornton Robert Lee Thornton Sr. (often R. L. Thornton; August 10, 1880 – February 15, 1964) was an American banker, civic leader, and four-term Mayor of Dallas, Texas. A child of tenant farmers, Thornton's early years were divided between school and f ...
(1880 - 1964) was active and raised his family in the church. *Dallas business man Jack Lowe Sr. (1913 - 1980) was active and raised his family in the church. He was active in the effort to peacefully integrate Dallas schools in the 1960s and 1970s and was attracted to the church by the preaching of Dr. Bill Dickinson. *Former American President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
attended the church from 1989 to 1995. He volunteered in a ministry to help low-income, mostly Hispanic families. He has attended since his Presidency concluded. He currently is a member and attends regularly. *American football player and coach
Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...
(1924-2000) attended the church. *
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
,
Doug Parker William Douglas Parker (b. October 31, 1961) is an American businessman who was the Chairman of American Airlines Group, Inc., the parent company of American Airlines. Early life and education Parker grew up in Michigan and received a BA in ...
, is an active member of the church.


References

{{Authority control Southern Methodist University Churches in Dallas United Methodist churches in Texas George W. Bush