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During our 90th Anniversary, West University United Methodist Church happily highlights Jayne Bowman Allums, our current longest attending church member! She joined the church when she was ten years old and recently celebrated her 87th birthday.
In 1949, Jayne’s family moved onto Rice Boulevard near Edloe Street. She was an only child whose maternal and paternal grandmothers, Lula Carlin Binegar and Lula Hyatt Bowman, lived with she and her parents, Julia Carlin Bowman & William “Bo” Wallace Bowman. The whole family attended church weekly at West U Methodist and were active in Sunday School classes. Church was still held in the unairconditioned chapel and there were four services to accommodate everyone.
WATCHING THE STEEPLE RISE
Jayne remembers the day when her West University Elementary fifth grade teacher announced to the class that they were going to walk down University Boulevard to see the new sanctuary that was being built at Mercer. The group all sat in a neighbor’s yard across the street and watched the huge trucks hoisting up the steeple and placing it on top. At that time half of her class attended the church. Jayne laughed, “It was simpler times when the teacher could just leave the school campus and now-a-days you would have to get permission from lots of people for an adventure like that.”
In 1950, Jayne was confirmed as a fifth grader and received a Bible. She also has fond memories of trips to Lakeview Methodist Camp in Palestine, Texas, the same camp our church's youth group enjoyed this year.
25-CENT SLOPPY JOES AND SUNDAY NIGHT CROWDS
As a teenager, she loved Sunday night Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF). “Sometimes there would be 200 kids from surrounding high schools. The moms would cook dinner which consisted of a sloppy joe, a bag of potato chips and a glass of iced tea for just 25 cents! My dad always woke up the family early Sunday mornings to go to the 8 a.m. service. When I did not feel like going, I would say I was feeling sick. Dad said that is fine but if you don’t go to church you cannot go to MYF tonight and I suddenly felt better!”
THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
After attending the University of Texas, Jayne and David Allums were married at West U Methodist on August 11, 1962. After David thankfully returned from his service during the Vietnam War, the couple was blessed with two daughters, Carlin and Kacy, who both were baptized, and grew up in the church. Carlin married Stuart Morstead and Kacy married Alan Pierce.
Jayne and David were blessed with five grandchildren. Kacy and her family, including daughters Jayne and Anne, settled in Dallas, while Carlin and her family live nearby and joined West U Methodist making grandkids George, John and Julia Morstead fifth generation church members.
Jayne’s husband, David, passed away in 2011. His funeral was held at the church, as were Jayne’s grandmothers’ and parents’ services.
STILL SMILING, STILL SINGING (AND LOVING THE ROCK BAND)
“I still love going to church, Jayne smiled. “The kids are so cute and I like the choir and the church songs and I think the rock band is cool. The church means a lot to me. It really has been so special to me and my family all these years. Happy 90th, West University Methodist, and here’s to 90 more wonderful years!”
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