Central Christian Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight from the stone. In Parker County, Texas, in the year 1894, sixty-five people walked away from the First Christian Church (the congregation now known as the South Main Church of Christ) and started something new. They called it Central Church of Christ, or Central Christian Church, depending on who you asked in those early years.

Either way, it was theirs, and they meant to build it right. The Reverend W.H. Bagby stepped in as their first pastor.

W.R. Vivrett and F.O. McKinsey took on the role of first elders.

And the first Board of Deacons (W.H. Hemphill, W.B. Wells, and W.K.

Shropshire) rounded out the founding leadership. Sixty-five people, a handful of names to steer the ship, and a vision. That's your foundation.

Now, they didn't put up a tent or a pine-board shack. They built in stone: a proper stone structure sitting right at the corner of West Oak and Houston Streets, one block south of the Courthouse Square. On May 13, 1894, they dedicated that building.

Enlarged in later years, it would go on to serve the congregation for seventy years. Seventy years in the same walls. That's not a building; that's a backbone.

Over in northwest Parker County, the Whitt Christian Church had been holding down its own corner of the county, but in the 1950s it disbanded. And just like that, Central Christian Church became the only Disciples of Christ congregation in all of Parker County. The last one standing, and it had no intention of standin' still.

The need for larger facilities made itself known, the way such needs always do: quietly at first, then all at once. Land at the current site was purchased in 1960, and four years later, on May 10, 1964, a new sanctuary was dedicated. The old stone building on West Oak and Houston?

It became a museum. Seventy years of worship, and then a new life holding memory instead of congregation. Since its founding, Central Christian Church has been described as an important part of Parker County history, and it keeps right on earning that description, serving the community through worship, education, and outreach to this day.

Some stones just know how to last.

What the marker says

This congregation was founded in 1894 by sixty-five former members of the First Christian Church (now South Main Church of Christ). Known in its early years as Central Church of Christ or Central Christian Church, the congregation's first pastor was the Reverend W.H. Bagby. W.R. Vivrett and F.O. McKinsey served as the first elders, and the first Board of Deacons consisted of W.H. Hemphill, W.B. Wells, and W.K. Shropshire. The congregation's first building was a stone structure located at the corner of West Oak and Houston Streets, one block south of the Courthouse Square. Dedicated on May 13, 1894, and enlarged in later years, it continued to serve the members for seventy years. The Whitt Christian Church in northwest Parker County disbanded in the 1950s, making the Central Christian Church the only Disciples of Christ congregation in Parker County. The need soon arose for larger church facilities. Land at this site was purchased in 1960, and a new sanctuary was dedicated on May 10, 1964. The original church building became a museum. An important part of Parker County history since its founding, Central Christian Church continues to serve the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1990)