EVERYBODY LOVES TEXAS HISTORIC EDIFICES FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Amarillo, Texas – Built 1899 As the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad snaked its way across the Panhandle of Texas in the late 1880s, the town of Amarillo came into being. In the spring of 1888 the new city had about 150 citizens. They began to express an interest in establishing churches. Parkers Chapel (also known as Union Church) was completed in the summer of 1889 and was shared by all denominations. The First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Texas, with sixteen charter members, was organized in that building in September, 1889, and continued meeting there until the original Baptist church was completed at 500 Pierce Street in 1890. This 36 by 60-foot building with a high ceiling and double front doors was considered quite an achievement for such a small, pastorless congregation. (This building now sits on the northeast corner of the church campus). In early 1891 Rev. George Walter Capps was called to be the first pastor. Some of these early pastors were true innovators. In 1902, Rev. Anderson E. Baten organized a Baptist Young Peoples Union (an early form of student ministry). This was only the second such ministry in the entire Southern Baptist Convention. By 1904, First Baptists membership had expanded to 343, and the churchs missions offering was $508.20, setting a precedent for generous mission work for years to come.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 10:53:21 +0000
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