Character of Midland
Books Available at www.petroleummuseum.org/shop.
  • Character Blog
  • About the Book
  • About Jimmy

Stories. The straw that broke the Presbyterian minister's back

8/11/2010

1 Comment

 

Picture
Midland has of course had a long and storied history with its churches. Several protestant representatives came here on the heels of some of our earliest settlers. The Methodists were the first to organize a church in The Windmill City, and the Baptists, not to be outdone, followed less thana year later, in 1886.

For the Presbyterians, establishing in Midland was a bit more of a challenge, although they are obviously doing quite well for themselves in 2010.

Nine years after the Presbyterians opened their first church in 1885, membership dwindled to two and in 1897, the state governing body for the Presbyterian church dissolved the Midland congregation.

Two years later they gave it another try when 16 people met to re-establish the church. They would charter what would come to be known as First Presbyterian Church.

In 1923, almost a quarter century after the church set up shop in Midland, it experienced yet another controversy when Ted Hollifield felt forced to resign after it was learned that he had married a divorced woman.

Old-timers at the church, according to published reports, said such a marital arrangement was "the straw that broke the camel's back."

After Hollifield's ouster, First Presbyterian's membership would again dwindle, and discussion of another dissolving of the congregation re-emerged. Ultimately, the grace of God restored the church, which would go on to become a beacon of Christianity and protestantism in Midland, as well as an unquestioned leader in the community.

1 Comment
Melissa Collier Breden
8/11/2010 06:17:40 am

This kind of conservatism is exactly what I was raised with and didn't know anything different until moving away when I got married. I still think that the world could do with more "traditional" thinking like I was raised with but the world has changed to such a large degree since I was a girl in Midland.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About the Blog

    Welcome, and thanks for your interest in what will be a rewarding trip through our shared past. This "History of Character" blog is only the beginning. A book by the same name -- "A History of Character: The Story of Midland, Texas" -- will be published September 2014. Through this blog you'll be able to track the progress of the project and learn along with the book's author, Jimmy Patterson. If you have stories to share that you think deserve mention in the history of our city, drop an email to historyofcharacter@gmail.com.

    Archives

    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    January 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010

    Categories

    All
    A History Of Character
    Character
    Compassion
    Courage
    Discrimination
    History
    History Of Character
    Integrity
    Jno. Butler
    Joe Chavez
    John Butler
    John P. Butler
    Midland
    Mike Bradford
    Ntral
    Odessa
    People
    Sid Trevino
    Thoughts
    Vision
    Wadley

    RSS Feed