Bethel Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Bethel Baptist Church in Gregg County. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories that starts small, under an open sky, and just keeps on growing. The year is 1874.

The Rev. Richard Perry and nine deacons come together with a purpose, and they organize a church. No building yet, no steeple catching the light.

Just a brush arbor, the kind of shade you make when you mean business and you don't wait on anyone's permission. The land underneath that arbor? Donated by the Rev.

Perry himself and his wife Betty. That's the foundation, right there. Not stone, not timber.

People. In 1875, a Sunday School is formed. The congregation is putting down roots, branch by branch.

Then comes 1884, and a new church building goes up. The community is growing, the work is deepening. By 1890, a women's missionary society and a youth association are both formed in the same year.

That's a congregation that knows where it's headed. A new sanctuary is built in 1906. And then, in 1956, a fourth sanctuary is erected on this very spot, replacing it.

Four sanctuaries. Each one a measure of endurance. In 1958, a junior missionary society is organized, bringing the youngest members into the fold.

What the Rev. Richard Perry and those nine deacons started under a brush arbor has never stopped. Bethel Baptist Church continues to serve the African American community of this area, still standing, still going.

Some things you build once. Some things you just keep building.

What the marker says

The Rev. Richard Perry and nine deacons organized this church in 1874. Services were held under a brush arbor on land donated by the Rev. Perry and his wife Betty until a sanctuary was erected later that year. A Sunday School was formed in 1875. A new church building was erected in 1884 and in 1890 a women's missionary society and a youth association were formed. A new sanctuary, built in 1906, was replaced by a fourth sanctuary erected here in 1956. A junior missionary society was organized in 1958. The church continues to serve the area's african American community. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995