Chapel in the Hills celebrates 70 YEARS

The postwar year 1949, September 25 to be exact, was seventy years ago. The little town of Wimberley was hardly a speck on a Texas map at that time, but it was growing. Yes, there were churches in town, the Baptist and the Christian, but people kept moving in and if they were not members of the two churches, they needed a place to worship.

The first meetings of what would become Chapel in the Hills were at the Roy and Bee Avery’s Corral Theatre. When the meeting started getting boring and people started walking away, a record of the hymn “Blest Be the Ties that Bind” was played over the P.A. system. People returned to their seats. Thus, a tradition was born. The song saved the meeting, and that’s why that hymn is played at every service to this day.

The services were moved to the Wimberley Square and the first minister was Rev. George Coit Moore, a retired Presbyterian minister from San Marcos. Parks Johnson, a national radio host, his wife Louise, artist Buck Winn and wife Kitty, along with Clarence and Pansy Burdett were founding members.

The first permanent services were held on the Square, in the building that now houses the Blue Willow. In the early years, Parks Johnson would teach Sunday school to the boys and Louise would teach the girls.

“Each week, Parks would have a jar of nickels, and the boys got to guess the amount or the number of nickels in the jar to win the nickels. This was a real big draw and kept the boys returning each week for the money – and the love of Jesus,” M.F. Johnson, daughter-in-law of Parks, said.

At that time it was called Wimberley Community Church with about 60 members. It was, and is today, an interdenominational church. One could be a member of a different church, say in Houston, but since at that time there was not a church of every religion in Wimberley, the Community Church was the place to gather and to worship on Sundays.

It helped keep the church increasing in size. Thins started to feel a bit cramped. It was time to build something more permanent for the growing church. Parks and Louise Johnson donated 13 acres for the building. The new church now needed a new name and Chapel in the Hills was selected.

Groundbreaking was on August 14, 1960. Built and opened on February 5, 1961, the new church sported a large amber cross by Buck Winn as the backdrop for the altar. The light of the cross inside the church in the morning and the cross’ light outside at night is inspiring to all that view it.

The architect on the project was Frank Dill, a Rice University Professor at the School of Architecture who also designed Rice University’s Trinity Episcopal and the Religious Center for the University of Houston.

The new church was located across the road from Parks and Louise’s Sabine Ranch. “Bill and Parks would get up when it was cold and turn on the heat after it was built… The Chapel was a nest church, somewhere to worship while you were getting your denomination’s people and money together to form your own church,” M.F. Johnson said.

The Chapel featured native limestone work by local masons, with limestone buttresses on the sides, a copper steeple and a bronze bell. For many years, the church also served as the town’s library until the Wimberley Village Library was formed.

As a library, the church had a room set aside for books. A truck would bring books in from San Marcos. The kids in town had one day a week to check out books, as

did the whole community.

“The library in 1976 was started with a small collection of books from the Chapel in the Hills,” M.F. said. Not only books are in the church’s present library. The chapel’s current library has creative stained glass windows, another nice touch of Buck Winn’s talents.

“I continued to see our little church grow,” said Katherine “Tinka” Winn Eoff, daughter of Buck and Kitty Winn. “The family always included Sundays at the Chapel in the Hills.”

Now, the Chapel has grown and the church’s events are the community’s events: the Easter Egg Hunt, Live Nativity Scene, Classical Music Concerts, both chorale and instrumental. Music has been a big part of the church since the early beginnings. with the tradition of “Blest Be the Ties that Bind,” and it still is.

Celebrating 70 years is a joyous occasion. For Chapel in the Hills is such a big part of the Wimberley community, its history is truly ours. Its members have a simple Statement of Faith:

“We affirm our faith in our Living God, Creator and Ruler of the universe and all mankind. We accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and will follow his moral and spiritual leadership. We receive as members of the Church all followers of Christ – respecting each man’s conscience, accepting as the guiding principle of our lives and conduct the teachings of Jesus Christ.”

The Chapel in the Hills will be celebrating in a big way on Sunday, September 22. Anniversary events will start at 10:30 a.m. on the church lawn and will include the opening of the church’s cornerstone. A celebration service will follow at 11 a.m. and then a covered dish supper.

Members, former members and the community are invited to be a part of the activities and learn more about the church and its history.

For more information please call (512) 847-9762.