Our History

Riverside sprouted from a the Methodist movement out of the traditional United Methodist church through a vision of a new church on Hoopers Island to Reverend Willard Donahue. The congregation began in the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church almost directly across the street from our current location. Soon the church was moved to a Hansel Tyler’s seafood factory. On August 6th of 1927, Rev. Donahue and his team opened the Pilgrim Holiness Church of Hoopers Island in our current building. He donated the stained glass window facing Hoopers Island Rd. The church grew rapidly and in its second year was averaging 120 people in attendance. Eventually the church became Union Holiness Church. The church was a member of the Pilgrim Holiness Tradition until the denomination merged with the Wesleyan Methodists and became The Wesleyan Church in 1968.

Our First Pastor, Rev. Donahue and His Wife

Meanwhile many other changes were taking place in the building. From 1971-1972, the church was paneled, and then antique pews, pulpits, bread table, and many other pieces were purchased from a church in Denton and refurbished to suit the churches needs better. It is estimated that the people of the congregation spent 450 hours working on the building. In 1975 the multi-purpose side wing was added to accommodate Sunday school classes and other events. Due to a lightning strike in the late 1980’s, there was a fire which prompted new flooring and the addition of the steeple. The church was growing once again and many faithful members made each change happen.

Young Adults Class
The Children’s Class

In the 1980’s the former church house was sold and a new house on a much bigger lot was built on Keys Rd for the Pastoral family and to host church functions.

In 1989 the church was renamed again to become Riverside Wesleyan Church.

In 1996, the second stained glass window facing the river was added by the families of long-time members Virginia Thomas and Victor Simmons. It is one of the most beautiful features of the building.

In 2003, Hurricane Isabel struck Hoopers Island and the church was flooded inside and office addition was completely ripped off the back of the church. Through many faithful efforts, repairs were made and God remained faithful to Riverside.

Hurricane Isabel Flooding

Present Day

In 2009, Pastor Charles “Chuck” Hudson III was confirmed as the 18th pastor of the church. Soon thereafter the church began to rebuild the children’s ministry and began holding children’s church, vacation bible school, and Christmas programs. In the early 2010’s we undertook many jobs to insulate the church. We blew all new insulation in the walls and then replaced all of the windows along the sides of the church. In 2016, in response to a need for a handicap accessible bathroom and wider doorways in the side rooms of the church, Pastor Chuck and many volunteers began an overhaul of the backroom that was finished a few months later. This allowed an all new level of flexibility in the space. Due to the faithfulness of givers, in 2017 we installed a television to the wall to project the scripture and song lyrics.

Addition Renovations

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to close the church down. After one week closed, Pastor Chuck began to produce online services to feed the congregation. We regathered for drive-in style services for Easter and Mother’s Day. We were able to reopen with restrictions the week after Mother’s Day. Since then, we have expanded our live streaming services to offer a more comprehensive and consistent experience. During the pandemic, the entire church house received a needed repainting and refreshing along with new shutter paint.

Drive-In Easter Service

Most recently, in August of 2020 we faced a horrible wind storm that damaged our stained glass window, front door, and siding. It was an extensive job that took nearly a year to complete. In 2021, the new doors were installed and the stained glass was reinforced and rehabbed. The updates were finished with repainting the multi-purpose addition to the church.

New Front Door
Updated Multi-Purpose Room

Former Pastors

1. Willard I. Donohue (1927-1931)
2. Stanley Hope (1931-1933)
3. Cecil Elzey (1933-1935)
4. Earl Lowry (1935-1939)
5. Newell Reed (1939-1942)
6. Clarence Wheedleton (1942-1946)
7. Edgar P. Cranfield (1946-1948)
8. Charles Lewis (1948-1951)
9. Earl Lowry (1951-1961)
10. Clifford Chew (1961-1963)
11. Carl Candel (1963-1971)
12. Russell Cloverdale (1971-1974)
13. Marion J. Griffin (1974-1986)
14. Dave Wooten (1986-1988)
15. Ben Booth (1988-1993)
16. Larry Wroten (1993-2002)
17. Lloyd Massey (2002-2008)
18. Charles “Chuck” Hudson III (2009-Present)

God has been faithful!