When Robert and Maxey Bowers attended First United Methodist Church in Houston, they sat in their regular spot week after week, without fail. This devotion to their church led them to record every sermon they heard there as well, and those tapes were later donated to the church.

Now, an endowment fund the Bowers brothers thoughtfully established many years ago underwrites an annual gift First UMC receives through the Texas Methodist Foundation.

“I can’t help but think that Dr. Allen and Dr. Henson saw the Bowers brothers in their regular place week after week and found comfort in that. Their presence is still being felt because they continue to give to a congregation that meant so much to them,” said Allen Houk, director of First Choice Ministries.

First Choice Ministries manages First UMC Houston’s television ministry in addition to their radio, website and newspaper communications. Since gifts from the Bowers Fund began, the money has been used to further the church television ministry in the brothers’ memory.

“Last year the contribution from the Bowers Fund paid for a week and a half of television air time in January. That’s a significant gift, and one we value year after year,” Houk added. “There’s no way to measure just how many lives are touched through this gift.”

First UMC Houston continues to point to the Bowers and their generosity in remembering the church as an example of how much can be accomplished through planned gifts.

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