Damascus Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to give it to you straight, with a little room to breathe. This is the story of Damascus Baptist Church, out in Smith County. Twelve charter members organized this congregation in 1890.

Twelve people. Not a hundred, not a packed house. Twelve folks who decided that was enough to get started.

They chose the Reverend David Skiles as their first pastor, and M. W. Wadsworth as first elder, and they got to work.

Now, they didn't have a building yet, so services were held in the nearby Nebo community schoolhouse. That arrangement held for a few years, right up until about 1895. And here is where the story picks up some speed.

A revival meeting came through, and when the dust settled, forty new members had joined the congregation. Forty. In one meeting.

You go from twelve to fifty-two people and suddenly that schoolhouse is feeling a little close. So the congregation began making plans for a larger, more permanent church building. That same year, 1895, a woman named Amy Wells donated three acres right here, for church and cemetery purposes.

And the land didn't stop there. Mr. and Mrs. D.

B. McDowell donated one and a half acres located across the road, where a spring provided water for the congregation. You think about those early members, hauling themselves to worship, drinking from that spring, building something out of nothing in the East Texas countryside.

The first sanctuary was completed in 1896. And at that time, the church received its name. Amy Wells named it Damascus, presumably for the Damascus in a Bible story related to the conversion of the Apostle Paul.

That name has carried forward ever since. Now, for decades the church grew and served its community. Baptisms were held in a nearby creek and pond, the way they had always been done, out in the open air.

That continued until 1956, when the congregation built a new brick sanctuary and included an indoor baptistry. Before that, in 1948, the Reverend Robert Gorsline had been chosen as the first full-time pastor. Over the years, additional facilities were built to house educational and fellowship programs.

Twelve charter members in 1890. A revival that changed the math. A spring across the road.

A name drawn from scripture. And a congregation that, by the time this marker was written, was still active in missionary work and still providing spiritual guidance for the community. Some things you build in a season.

Some things you build across a century.

What the marker says

This congregation was organized by 12 charter members in 1890. The Rev. David Skiles was chosen as the first pastor and M. W. Wadsworth as first elder. Services were held in the nearby Nebo community schoolhouse until about 1895 when the addition of 40 new members during a revival meeting prompted the congregation to begin plans to build a larger, more permanent church building. Amy Wells donated three acres here for church and cemetery purposes in 1895. Water for the congregation was provided by a spring on 1.5 acres located across the road and donated by Mr. and Mrs. D. B. McDowell. The first sanctuary was completed in 1896. At that time the church was named Damascus by Army Wells, presumably for the Damascus in a Bible story related to the conversion of the Apostle Paul. The Rev. Robert Gorsline was chosen the first full-time pastor in 1948. Baptisms were held in a nearby creek and pond until 1956, when an indoor baptistry was included in the church's new brick sanctuary. Over the years additional facilities have been built to house educational and fellowship programs. The congregation is active in missionary work and continues to provide spiritual guidance for the community.