The Courier of Montgomery County reports that in order to help repair the of roof of a historic Black church, which has shared its sanctuary with the Willis community for 124 years, the Montgomery County History Task Force is using a GoFundMe page to raise funds. For repairs to the Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church $15,000 overall is needed, and as of a fund-raising report last week, around $11,000 more is needed to reach their goal.
According to the Chairman of the task force, Ann Meador, the church is the only state landmark building in Montgomery County, as well as the oldest building in continuous use.
Meador passed along that the building was constructed in 1899. The builders were descendants of slaves form a plantation nearby. She said it has been used by the black community for meetings on civil rights, a cultural center and as a former school.
The building sits at Waverly and Holland Streets in Willis. The church is undergoing a search for a new minister, following the retirement of the previous minister. It has a congregation at present of 20 to 25 members.
The building was designated as a state historical monument in 2001, and a Texas historical marker was installed on the church’s property.
Foundation work was completed recently on the building.
To donate, go to the gofundme webpage, and enter “Historic Black Church in Willis” in the search engine.
