Red River Valley Venue & Opry House

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“The Little Church That Chose Us”

May of 2017 was the month that my husband, Jerry McMahan, and I will not soon forget. We were visiting the small community of Byers, Texas one Sunday afternoon when it came to our attention that the Byers Methodist Church, which I had been so familiar with as a child, was for sale. I recalled traveling past it numerous times over the years with my parents.

Growing up in Wichita Falls, we would often visit my grandparents farm in the small Irving Community of Ryan, Oklahoma; passing the massive white pillars and red brick facade of the church on Hwy. 79 along the way. It was only a short distance (which to a child, seemed like a long drive) across the Red River into Oklahoma and on to the farm. I knew that once we passed the church, we were almost to Grandma’s house.

When we pulled up in front of the church that day to get a better look at it before going on our way, a man and a woman came out of the church and asked if we would like to come inside and look around. Once inside, it was “love at first sight”. The beautiful old choir loft had been enclosed from the rest of the church for years, but its charm and the massive old bell in the bell tower literally spoke to our hearts,

Over the next couple of weeks, Jerry and I had numerous discussions between the two of us, told God how we didn’t need a church or another “retirement project”, we prayed, met with the church members and prayed some more. All of which led us to realize, without a doubt and for whatever reason, God had a plan. So... with faith and a deep desire to preserve and restore the building to its 100-year old condition, while maintaining its historic integrity and legacy, we concluded that indeed... it was “the little church that chose us”.

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