About Us
History of Riverside:
Rev. Robert E. Goodrich, Jr. was appointed Riverside’s first full-time minister in 1939. As a gift to the church, Mr. and Mrs. George Moore purchased land at the corner of North MacGregor Way and St. Bernard, which is presently named Cullen Boulevard. The new chapel was formally dedicated on June 6, 1940.
Rev. Ben Lehmberg succeeded Rev. Goodrich in 1944. During his tenure there was a tremendous growth in the community and in Riverside’s congregation. In 1947, an educational unit was added to the church plant. At that time there were many Sunday school classes formed. The Semper Fidelis class still meets faithfully today. The Semper Fidelis classroom was recently named for William “Bill “Plagens due to his faithful dedicated to Christian education. The present day sanctuary was officially dedicated on May 20, 1951.
Under the spiritual leadership of Rev. Ed Mathieson, plans were on the drawing board for an addition to the education building. In 1956, the completion of the educational building and the dedication of the tower and chimes occurred after the arrival of Rev. Hallonquist.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s families were growing and a movement to larger homes and new schools began to take place. It was during this time that Riverside’s membership reached more than 1,800 members.
On June 1, 1966, Foster Place Methodist Church officially merged with Riverside Church. The combined finances and efforts of the membership, including a special gift made by Col Joseph Thurman Long, Jr. and a matching of gift by Mr. J.H. Kurth, Jr. made it possible to retire the entire indebtedness of Riverside and its parsonage. The “burning of the mortgage” ceremony was held on Sunday May 1967.
During the 1970’s, Riverside’s congregation consisted of members from the inner city, university community and suburbia. An ethnic change was also under way at Riverside. There were Vietnamese, Mexican-American and African Americans among those attending our worship services.
Rev. Don Goodwin was appointed to Riverside in 1979. Under his leadership a permanent endowment was established for the subsidy of the building and maintenance of the church.
On February 5, 1986, Rev. Robert Hayes, Jr. became Riverside’s first African-American minister and would lead Riverside for eight years. He was later named Bishop of the Oklahoma Annual Conference. In 1995, Rev. Dr. Mary Jan Van Dussen became Riverside’s first female pastor. She extended the altar to accommodate the Ebony Opera Guild and other performances. Rev. Vincent Harris was assigned to Riverside in 2001. He accomplished much during his pastorate which included a revival of bible study and spiritual growth; the inception of the Care and Nurture Ministry, improvements to the physical plant; construction of the playground and the negotiation of a leasing agreement with Monarch Day Care Center in conjunction with the Trustees and the United Methodist Men. In 2005 Rev. Marilyn White was appointed to Riverside and became the church’s first African-American female minister. Rev. White’s zeal for prayer and bible study caught on fire with the congregation. This ushered in a new era of passionate worship and praise. Under her leadership, led by the Trustees, the Riverside and Everlasting Covenant families restored the original chapel to a beautiful place of worship.
The Riverside family has welcomed the appointment of Rev. Ricky Georgetown and has been finding new ways to impact the at large community through mission and evangelism while targeting the nearby university campuses of Texas Southern and the University of Houston.
God has continued to bless Riverside United Methodist Church over the past 72 years. We celebrate God’s ongoing faithfulness. We will continue to be the hand, heart, hope & help of God!
The United Methodist Church
The Texas Annual Conference
Central South District of the Texas Annual Conference