The 1911 sanctuary was built under Key’s pastor Rev. J.R. Atchley. The contractor was J.A. Simmons, the grandfather of Mary Jane Burns. It took nine years to pay for the endeavor. In 1920 during the pastorate of Rev. J.W. Slagle, two bishops were here as Key dedicated the new building. In The Methodist Church then as now a dedication service is not held until all debt is removed. Bishop E.D. Mouzon preached the dedicatory sermon and Bishop Joseph Key laid the cornerstone. 

The cornerstone read,

“In Honor of Bishop Joseph S. Key,

Key Memorial Methodist Church, 1911.” 

Written only on paper it is remembered that the first positive action for a new church building came out of a business meeting of the Epworth League, the equivalent of today’s Methodist Youth Foundation. One night The League met in the home of Misses Della (who later became Mrs. Vestal) and Elta Outhouse, 419 S. Vaden. The former was Key’s church secretary several years in the 1950’s. That night the group discussed the need for a new building and voted to put on a temperance play, The Social Glass or Ten Nights in a Bar Room, to make the first money for the building fund. They gave the play in Sherman in a tent which had been set up on Cherry Street for some other purpose. The young people then took their play to Van Alstyne, Howe, and Bells. They made quite a profit. When Rev. J.M. Binkley, the Presiding Elder [now the office is District Superintendent] and Pastor Atchley saw how seriously the young people were working on the building fund, they took the matter up with the official board. Some of the board members were skeptical. They fought it because they thought the League members would not be successful. They thought it couldn’t be done.