History
The United Methodist Church in Buda is older than the town. It was founded in the Mountain City Community about 1850, meeting first in homes and at the camp meeting grounds. By 1877 it was part of the San Marcos district. In 1881, the IGN Railroad was completed between Austin and San Antonio, and the new town of Buda was founded as a stop for trains. The church members in this community began to move to the new towns of Kyle and Buda and two new Methodist Churches were founded.
The first meetings of the church were held in local family homes or outside under numerous live oak trees. On June 22, 1892, the trustees of the Buda Church bought Block 13 for the sum of $5. Under the leadership of Rev. Thomas Garrett, The Methodist built their first building which was used as a place of worship for all of the churches in town and a meeting place for the community.
In 1903, the church building burned. It was replaced by a large frame structure on the same location as the old church. The congregation grew and the church prospered through the 1920’s, but the Great Depression brought tough times to the church and its members.
The present church was built in 1948 at a cost of $26,000, under the leadership of Pastor Lee Griffin. Additional classrooms and kitchen space were added in 1954.
During the 1960’s and early 70’s, the rural population began to move to the cities and the Buda church had a sharp decline in membership. By the mid 70’s, the trend had reversed and the Buda area began to grow. The schools were consolidated and new subdivisions were built. New churches were started in the area and the older churches began to grow again.
BUMC is facing tremendous changes as it prepares for the future. The community is growing at breakneck speed as the town of Buda celebrated its 50th anniversary (1948-1998) of being an incorporated city. In response to this growth Buda UMC has grown from a single worship service in 1993 to 3 services in 1998.
Our church members have been very active in mission trips to South Texas and in helping our neighbors in surrounding communities during hard times such as occurred during the flooding that hit south and central Texas in October, 1998. The members of BUMC are also active in supporting various community projects such as the Help Our Brother Out (HOBO) program serving the homeless in Austin, and the Hays/Caldwell County Women’s Center serving families in Hays and Caldwell counties.
The Buda United Methodist Church continues to grow with a spirit of dedication and service, providing a loving community for saints and sinners that will lead the area into another age of worship and fellowship.