Hinson, builder of megachurch, dies Preacher turned around the struggling First Methodist By RICHARD VARA Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle The Rev. William H. "Bill" Hinson, a nationally known preacher who presided over the growth of First United Methodist Church from a dwindling downtown congregation to a two-campus megachurch, has died. ADVERTISEMENT Hinson, who suffered a massive stroke Nov. 28, died at noon Sunday in Huntsville, Ala., with his family at his hospital bedside, said Ann Spears, a spokeswoman for First United Methodist Church. He was 68. "My immediate reaction was one of shock and great sadness, for a mighty man...