Christoval Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Christoval Baptist Church in Tom Green County. Now settle in, because this one goes back a good ways. Settlement of this area began in the 1860s, picked up steam in the 1870s and 1880s after Fort Concho got established over in nearby San Angelo, and by 1885 the town of Christoval was starting to take shape.

Out of that growing little community, something faithful was taking root. In 1889, four charter members organized what they called the South Concho Baptist congregation. Four people.

That's it. But you know what they say about a mustard seed. The Reverend T.

R. Leggett stepped in as first pastor, and the congregation didn't have a building of its own just yet. They gathered instead in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a building put up by a group of citizens and shared as a Union Church.

That Union Church sat on a hill at the corner of what is now Church Street and Rudd, and it welcomed all manner of clergy to its pulpit for regular worship services. It was common ground, a hill shared by many. The congregation carried the name South Concho Baptist all the way to 1906, when they changed it to Christoval Baptist Church.

Four years after that, the membership voted to build something of their own, and what they built was something to see: an octagonal wooden tabernacle. Eight sides. Out here in West Texas.

Then in 1911, the first annual summer Christoval Baptist encampment was held right on the banks of the South Concho River, and that tradition kept on growing. By August of 1925, during the camp meeting, they dedicated a brand new church building. A real milestone.

But the story doesn't glide smooth all the way through. The Depression came bearing down, and in 1932, the financial strain got heavy enough that the campground had to be sold. Hard years leave hard marks.

Even so, the Christoval Baptist Church is still standing, still a part of that community, rooted in the same ground where four people made a quiet decision back in 1889. Four members. One hill.

And a whole lot of Texas in between.

What the marker says

Settlement of this area began in the 1860s and increased in the 1870s and 1880s following the establishment of Fort Concho in nearby San Angelo. The town of Christoval began to develop by 1885. The South Concho Baptist congregation was organized in 1889 with four charter members. The Rev. T. R. Leggett served as first pastor, and the congregation met in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, built by a group of citizens and used as a Union Church. Located on a hill on the corner of present Church St and Rudd, the Union Church was the site of regular worship services, with various clergy officiating. The name of the South Concho Baptist congregation was changed to Christoval Baptist Church in 1906. Four years later the membership voted to build its own facility, and an octagonal wooden tabernacle was erected. In 1911, the first annual summer Christoval Baptist encampment was held on the banks of the South Concho River. A new church building was dedicated in 1925 during the August camp meeting. Due to the financial strains of the Depression, the campground was sold in 1932. This church remains an important part of the Christoval community. (1989)