DUANE
Duane's take
The way this marker tells it, and I'm taking it word for word, here's the story of Fellowship Baptist Church out in Shelby County. Pull up a chair — this one goes back a ways. A long ways.
We're talkin' 1818. Settlers were crossin' the Sabine River by ferry, pushin' into this country before Texas was even a republic, before it was a state, before it was hardly anything at all except wild and full of promise. They built homes on the hills near good springs of water, and once enough homes went up, well — a church was considered essential.
That's not my word. That's the marker's word. Essential.
And they were right. It is recorded that this congregation ministered to spiritual needs all the way through the Republic of Texas era. Think about that for a moment.
The Republic of Texas — and Fellowship Baptist Church was already there, tendin' to its people. Those people came from miles around, ridin' in farm wagons, bringin' baskets of food, because when you're travelin' that far on a Sunday morning, you'd better plan to stay a while. The original building was a log structure, heated by an eight-foot fireplace with a mud chimney.
The benches were split logs. The windows had no glass — just shutters on wooden hinges. In season, school was held in that same building.
One room doin' the work of many. Now the name — Fellowship — that name honored the loyalties among those pioneer families. The first pastor was the Reverend Wyatt S.
Childress, a kinsman of Geo. C. Childress, one of the authors of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
So this little log church in the Shelby County hills had a direct human thread runnin' to the founding documents of Texas itself. The first church clerk was Dr. John Moses Taylor.
After sawmills came into use in the eighteen-seventies, a second building went up — plank construction this time — and that building was relocated and remodeled several times over. Then in 1939 the present structure was built, and enlarged again in 1967. But here's the detail that'll stay with you.
The old Busbee Place Spring — the very spring that made early settlers choose this site in the first place — that spring still flows. Still supplies water for the church and for the baptistry. Same water, same ground, same spot where families climbed down from their wagons with their baskets of food and their tired horses and their need for something steady.
That spring was there before the log building. It'll likely be there long after we're gone. Fellowship Baptist Church just kept buildin' around it.
What the marker says
One of the oldest Baptist churches in Texas. Founded by settlers who came by ferry across Sabine River as early as 1818. After a number of homes were built on hills near good springs of water, a church was considered essential. It is recorded that this one ministered to spiritual needs in Republic of Texas era. Congregation assembled by riding many miles, usually in farm wagons, and with baskets of food. Original log building, heated by 8-foot fireplace with mud chimney, had split log benches. The windows, without glass, had shutters on wooden hinges. In season, school was held in this early building. The name "Fellowship" honored loyalties among the pioneer families. First pastor was the Rev. Wyatt S. Childress, a kinsman of Geo. C. Childress, one of the authors of the Texas Declaration of Independence. First church clerk was Dr. John Moses Taylor. Erected after sawmills were in use in the 1870s was second church building, of plank construction. This was several times relocated and remodeled. The present structure was built in 1939; enlarged 1967. The old "Busbee Place" Spring, initially responsible for choice of this site, still supplies water for the church and baptistry. (1969)