Pilot Point holds a significant place in the history of the Church of the Nazarene. On Oct. 13, 1908, leaders from holiness churches across the United States gathered there to unite as one denomination—a moment that marked the official birth of the Church of the Nazarene.
Now, more than a century later, Grace Point Church of the Nazarene is working to preserve that legacy by creating a museum on the very grounds where the affiliation began.
“When I came here in 2016, I realized there was nothing here that would tell people much about the church,” said Pastor Dwayne Edwards, who leads the congregation at Grace Point. “We decided to change that here when my wife and I came.”
The museum is still in the works but is hoped to be completed within the next year.
“We'll [help] people to grasp the richness of our heritage, where the church started, the sacrifice it took to build the church, where it is today and then where the church is going for the future,” Ed- wards said.
The project includes collecting artifacts, photos and documents that represent how the denomination has grown.
“We're still collecting items coming in from different parts of the country,” Edwards said. “So when people come from all over the world, they'll come and they'll have something to see. They'll have a little story.”
Although the museum’s main focus is the church’s founding, it will also spotlight other chapters of the property’s history—including a girls’ home that once operated there.
Originally run by the Holiness Church of Christ, the home, named Rest Cottage, offered shelter and adoption services to women escaping prostitution and human traffi cking in Fort Worth’s infamous Hell’s Half Acre.
“The girls’ home itself is just nothing but pure hope,” Edwards said. “Hope and a second chance and new life. These moms had nowhere to live. They were used like nothing you can imagine. They were told they were worthless.”
The site also previously hosted a university and a publishing house, all of which will be featured in the museum as part of the broader story of Nazarene identity.
“When people come from different places in the world, we just want them to leave going, ‘Man, we have a rich heritage here. There's actually something here,’ because for years and years and years, there's not been anything here,” Edwards said. “The church is growing all over the world. We have stuff going on all over the universe. He's all over the world.”
Those interested in the rich history and ongoing legacy of Pilot Point Church of the Nazarene can check out insightful articles by Stan Ingersol and Daniel Sperry.
In “Pilot Point’s Enduring Signifi cance,” Ingersol explores the spiritual and organizational unity that was established in 1908 and remains a core part of the church's identity today.
Additionally, “Pilot Point Church of the Nazarene Continues Ministry After 111 Years” by Sperry highlights the church's recent renewal and its commitment to embracing both its heritage and new ministry opportunities.
Though the project is still ongoing, Edwards said the goal is clear.
“The thing we're thinking about is that people will take away the rich history of the Church of Nazarene,” Edwards said. “You look at your roots, like your own faith, about yourself, and you look at where you came from—that tells a lot about where you are today and where you're headed. So we're hoping that we would be able to tell the church’s story in that kind of way. And if people come to experience that from the photos, they will see—the rich heritage and the cost of building the church—reflect and hopefully [be inspired] by the way God moved then and still moves today.”
For more information on Grace Point Church of the Nazarene or to contribute to the project, visit gracepointnaz. net or contact Edwards at 760-518-6732.
