The Conroe Church of Christ is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025 and a weekend of celebrations is set for Sept. 20-21.
The church organized in 1925 and first met at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Other meeting locations have been on Collins Street in downtown Conroe, at 1500 Frazier Street which is now the Conroe Symphony Centre and finally at the current church home at 1860 Longmire Road.
100th anniversary plans
The celebration kicks off with a Reunion Dinner & Reception from 5 to 8 p.m Sept. 20. This will be an evening of fellowship, food and reflection. Participants are asked to bring a photo to share on the church’s “Photo Wall Through the Decades.”
Celebration Sunday on Sept. 21 begins with a special class at 9 a.m. full of reflection and storytelling from 100 years of church history.
A worship service will take place at 10 a.m. where former Senior Minister Steve Yates will share a history of the church.
Present Senior Minister Rick McCall said the congregation has about 850 members currently.
Church history
The Conroe Church of Christ launched in 1925 when several ladies came together and met in the basement of the Montgomery County Courthouse, according to a 2021 article in The Courier of Montgomery County.
Soon after they built a church at the intersection of Metcalf and San Jacinto streets in downtown Conroe. The property today remains as a law office.
In the 1950s, a church building came up along North Frazier Street. At the time the property was considered on the northern fringes of town and only thick pine forests lay to the north of the two-acre property. Metcalf Funeral Home was just across the street.
As the church grew, more space was needed and the congregation bought 17 acres on Longmire Road. The Longmire Road location was dedicated in 2008.
Memories over the years
Yates came to Conroe in July 1985 when the city had approximately 16,000 residents and existed as a small city still thick its oil town identity. The church continued to grow with the community and moved to new expanded locations three times over its 100-year history.
Yates served 36 years as Senior Minister before passing the torch to McCall in 2021.
In celebration of the milestone, the church has created a 100 years Facebook page for parishioners to share memories.
“Over all the years we’ve moved several times around the Conroe area. It’s a beautiful reminder that the church is not about the building, but the people who gather to worship, serve and share His love beyond the walls,” according to a post on the memories page.
Members have posted memories, pictures and funny stories about their time at Conroe Church of Christ on the page. Others wrote of the generosity of church members as well.
Cathy Turner Messecar, a former columnist for The Courier, is a longtime member of Conroe Church of Christ.
She shared memories on the Facebook page of the church’s work during Hurricane Fifi in September 1974. The storm devastated Honduras killing thousands. Church members gathered donations and arranged to have them flown to Honduras.
“This church has always responded in times of disasters. We live and worship among a very generous people,” she wrote.
See the church’s 100 years page on the Conroe Church of Christ website for more.