Central Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Central Baptist Church in Polk County. Now settle in, because this congregation has been around long enough to outlast a few names, a few buildings, and more than a few associations. The Baptists of Livingston got things started with Ariel Baptist Church, circa 1852.

That's before the Civil War, before the county had much of anything, and those early members had enough ambition to petition for membership in the Bethlehem Association just three years later, in 1855. That association stretched across nine Texas counties, which was no small thing in those days of rough roads and longer distances. Ariel moved through a series of later associations after that, and then around 1908 it helped found something new: the Unity Baptist Association.

A founding congregation. Not just a member, a founder. That tells you something about the standing this church had built.

And the name. Well, the name changed more than once. After the Civil War, Ariel became Livingston Baptist Church.

Then in 1917, it became Central Baptist Church, which is what the marker calls it today. Three names, one continuous congregation, still going. For the church's first several decades, from its founding all the way to 1887, it shared a building with other congregations in Livingston.

Then something changed. Mrs. Susan Hunt and Mrs.

Patience Watts sold Livingston City Block 41 to the church. The purchase price was seventy-five dollars, and here is the part worth slowing down for: those two women turned right around and contributed one third of that purchase price themselves. They sold the land and then helped pay for it.

The church completed its first permanent structure in early 1888. In 1906, a second structure went up at the same site, this one built of red brick. Additional buildings followed through the years.

The congregation was never just about the building, though. The Ladies' Aid Society was established in 1904. The Brotherhood, a men's organization, was active for many years.

In 1911, the church launched its own newspaper, the Livingston Baptist Helper. In 1945, the church contributed toward the Unity Association's purchase of the Piney Woods Baptist encampment at Woodlake, and it continues to contribute toward that support to this day. Come the 1980s, the church added radio and television ministries to its reach.

And since 2002, it has sponsored a school of the arts, offering instruction and personal development in music and the arts. From a shared building on the Texas frontier to a school teaching music and the arts, the congregation that started as Ariel Baptist Church never did stop moving forward.

What the marker says

The Baptists of Livingston established Ariel Baptist Church circa 1852. The church petitioned for membership in the Bethlehem Association, which consisted of nine Texas counties, in 1855. Ariel Baptist Church belonged to a series of later associations until serving as a founding congregation of the Unity Baptist Association circa 1908. The church has also changed names through the years; it became Livingston Baptist Church after the Civil War, and changed to Central Baptist Church in 1917. From the time of its founding until 1887, the church shared a building with other congregations in Livingston, but in that year, Mrs. Susan Hunt and Mrs. Patience Watts sold Livingston City Block 41 to the church, and the two women contributed one third of the $75 purchase price. The church's first permanent structure was completed in early 1888. A second structure of red brick was constructed at the site in 1906, and several additional buildings have been added to the church's physical plant through the years. The church has been active in missions, educational programs and outreach in the community throughout its history. The Ladies' Aid Society was established in 1904, and a men's organization known as the Brotherhood was active for many years. In 1911, a church newspaper, the Livingston Baptist Helper, began publication. The church contributed toward the Unity Association's purchase of the Piney Woods Baptist encampment at Woodlake in 1945 and continues to contribute towards its support. In the 1980s, the church began radio and television ministries. Since 2002, the church has sponsored a school of the arts, which offers instruction and personal development in music and the arts. (2009)