First church: Downtown congregation closing doors on history

Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 | 11:20 a.m.

Church firsts

Some historical firsts for the First United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, from the church's archives:

He had inscribed on a plaque commemorating the June 18, 1905, opening: "In the future, this place will have a population of 50,000. ... We will stay."

Bain told church members in 1906 that it would be a church "that would stand for services for all time," according to minutes.

First United Methodist, the first church in Las Vegas, now plans to close its doors at Bridger Avenue and Third Street in June. It is the victim of significant loss of young families to the suburbs, an aging and shrinking membership and other factors such as a lack of convenient downtown parking.

"We are closing in June because that is when our savings will be depleted and we will be broke," said the Rev. David Devine, the 30th pastor of the church.

"Beyond what our congregation gives us in donations, we are spending on average $5,000 a month from our savings to pay our bills and maintain the building. We would have loved to have made it to our 100th birthday. But it would be illogical and ethically wrong for us to take out loans that we would have no way of repaying just to make it to that anniversary date."

It won't be the first church to make such a move. Among other churches to leave downtown Las Vegas were First Baptist, which sold its church at Ninth Street and Bridger to the city, and St. John's Greek Orthodox, which relocated to northwest Las Vegas.

Over 10 decades, four different Methodist church buildings have stood on the site at 231 S. Third St. The latest, built in the mid-1960s, sits on land valued at about $2 million. The ministry is free of debt and the sale would give the church members a chance to merge with another United Methodist church and enable both congregations to better accomplish their goals.

To that end the church has formed a committee to study the feasibility of either merging with one of the five local United Methodist churches that stemmed from the First United "mother church" or start a new church elsewhere in the city with its small older congregation plus new young members.

"This church may die, but it will be born again with our congregation staying as a body," Devine said. "The building is just a building -- one that we are sad to lose -- but the church is the people."

The question is whether the current church structure can be sold as anything but a church. Historical and preservation experts believe it can be turned into something else.

Frank Wright, retired historian for the Nevada State Historical Society and Museum, said there does not appear to be any historical preservation issues that would stop a sale.

"It is difficult to place such restrictions on churches because of the government versus religious issue," he said.

The church is not on the city's register or national register of historic places, Frank Fiori, the city of Las Vegas historical preservation officer, said. Anyone who purchases it will only have to get the use plans approved by the city's planning commission and the city council, he said.

But if Bain were so insistent on the church standing forever that he would etch it on a brass plaque, could there be a century-old legal document somewhere requiring that the site always be a church?

Wright said such covenants, authorities or restrictions could have been made and would be binding. Fiori agreed, noting, "There could be some restrictions that were placed on the original deed, but that would take a title search to find out."

"I do not believe there to be any such restrictions," said the Rev. Tom Mattick, the United Methodist Church district superintendent, "but a title search will be done."

Devine said there has been interest from wedding chapels and other businesses since the congregation voted Oct. 13 to close the church and sell the land.

"We'd hate to see it be anything but our church, but, unfortunately, it could wind up as a parking lot," Devine said.

In the 1960s, when families inhabited the downtown area, the church had its largest congregation of 850. As the suburbs grew, members joined other branches, such as Trinity, Wesley and University United, which opened in the mid-1960s. Zion United had splintered from First United in 1917 and Griffith United branched off in the mid-1950s.

Today First United has only 104 members -- about 60 of whom are active -- and the average age of those attending Saturday or Sunday services is about 55, Devine said.

"Without families with children, it's just us older people, and a church cannot survive without young members," said native Las Vegan Jackie MacFarlane, a First United Methodist member since the early 1950s who drives nearly eight miles from her suburban home to attend weekly services. "We have nine ladies in their 90s and many in their 80s. Seniors who are on fixed incomes can only give so much."

Member Beverly Carlino-Banta sees the closing as "a sad time" but also a time of new opportunity "to merge with another church and accomplish so much more" as part of a larger congregation.

"This year our church donated more than 1,000 baby layettes (kits of blankets, diapers and other supplies) to families who did not have the resources to buy these necessities," she said. "With the congregation surviving we will be able to continue this work with others to help us."

The church, despite its financial woes, is giving 40 turkey food baskets to poor people this week for Thanksgiving. Also the church's Tuesday morning women's sewing circle this year made 150 lap robes for people in wheelchairs.

In the town's earliest days, First United was called simply "the church" because its congregation included Catholics, Mormons, Episcopalians and Presbyterians. First United's members have included Las Vegas Mayor C.D. Baker, educator Robert E. Lake, the Griffiths, the Parks, the Baskins and many other pioneers.

First United Methodist moved from a tent into a $12,000 structure in 1908. In 1922 the building burned down and was rebuilt by 1925 at a cost of $30,000, according to church archives. By 1952 the church had again been rebuilt and expanded.

But with membership in a steady decline, the church has done what it could to survive, including deciding to sell.

"Not that many people live downtown anymore, so it's difficult to get new members," Devine said.

"Over the years we sold a lot of the property we owned around here and we have had large gifts that gave us savings we now are using. We made investments, but those investments since Sept. 11 have not done well.

"I believe we did everything we possibly could have done."