Center Point Christian Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Center Point Christian Church, out in Kerr County. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that run deep, and a story that keeps growin'. The Center Point Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, has been woven into the fabric of this community for more than a hundred and thirty-five years.

And like most good stories in Texas, it starts with somebody comin' from somewhere else. A traveling Kentucky minister named Green L. Surber founded the church in 1879.

Now, the marker gives us a probable reason why Green made his way to Center Point in the first place. His parents, Adam and Jemima Surber, had moved here, and both of them died here. So there was family pulling him to this place.

But Green also felt something else pulling at him, a calling to preach and strengthen the faith of a community that was growin' fast, as part of a broader campaign to revive Texas spirituality. That's a man with purpose in both directions, honoring the people he lost and tending to the people still living. He preached, he conducted weddings, and in 1883 he represented this area at the Southwestern Christian Association gathering down in San Antonio.

He was putting Center Point on the map, spiritually speaking. Then, in 1888, the first church building burned down. Just gone.

But that congregation didn't scatter. They rebuilt. By 1892 the church was standing again at its present site, funded by the community itself, with materials hauled in from San Antonio and Kerrville.

That right there tells you something about the kind of people who called this place home. Come the nineteen twenties, Pastor Perry Hawkins was leading the congregation, and under his watch the church joined with several citizens to do something ambitious. They established the Southwest Texas Christian Church encampment, known to folks as Camp Christian.

They situated it right on the Guadalupe River, which, if you've ever seen the Guadalupe on a clear day, you understand why that felt like the right place to plant something meant to last. And that camp kept on giving, long past its founding. In the nineteen fifties and sixties, the facilities were leased out to Camp Young Judaea, a Jewish summer camp program.

In the nineteen seventies, the Muscular Dystrophy Association used it too. One camp on a river, serving community after community across the decades. The property was eventually sold in 1988.

Back at the church itself, the years kept rolling and the pastors kept coming. More than twenty of them have served since the church's establishment, many of them serving both Center Point and Kerrville at the same time. The congregation kept meeting, kept reaching out, kept holding revival meetings.

Center Point has grown and changed around that church, the way towns do. And through all of it, the church and its members have kept right on doing what Green L. Surber started back in 1879, serving their neighbors and their community.

Some things, it turns out, just don't burn down.

What the marker says

The Center Point Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been a part of the community and surrounding area for more than 135 years. The church was founded by traveling Kentucky Minister Green L. Surber in 1879. His parents, Adam and Jemima Surber, had moved to Center Point and both died here, giving a probable reason for Green to come. He also felt the need to preach and strengthen the faith of the growing community as part of a campaign to revive Texas spirituality. He preached, conducted weddings, and represented the area in the 1883 southwestern Christian Association in San Antonio. The first church building burned down in 1888 but was rebuilt at its present site in 1892. Funds came from the community and materials came from San Antonio and Kerrville. Many succeeding pastors served in both Center Point and Kerrville. In the 1920s, the congregation under Pastor Perry Hawkins joined several citizens to establish the Southwest Texas Christian Church encampment, also known as “Camp Christian.” Situated on the Guadalupe River, the camp also leased out its facilities to camp young Judaea, a Jewish summer camp program, in the 1950s and 1960s, and to the Muscular Dystrophy Association in the 1970s. The property was sold in 1988. since its establishment the church has had more than twenty pastors. The church has served as a place for the local congregation to meet and provide community outreach and revival meetings. As the town of Center Point has grown and changed, the church and its members have continued to serve their neighbors and their community.