Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church. Now, if you want to talk about being there at the very beginning, I mean the very beginning, let me tell you about thirteen people who showed up in a brand new town and decided the first order of business was to build something that would last. The year was 1921.

Hockley City, the place that would eventually be known as Levelland, was freshly established. Barely a town yet, really. Just a place on the map with big intentions.

And under the leadership of a Reverend Curry, thirteen area residents gathered themselves together and organized a congregation. They called it First Missionary Baptist Church. The first church in all of Hockley City.

Before much else had taken root, these early pioneers and leaders planted a congregation. Now, they didn't have a building right away. That took some time and some work.

But in 1926, members completed a church building right here at this very location. Five years of a congregation meeting and growing before the walls went up around them. That tells you something about the kind of people involved.

And then there's B.E. Gunn. The church's first ordained minister.

A man who apparently couldn't be kept busy with just one calling, because he also served as the town's first postmaster. Preaching on Sunday, sorting the mail the rest of the week. From its founding, the church kept its eyes turned outward.

Missions were part of the life of this congregation from the start. And over the years, that spirit took on practical, everyday shapes: a food pantry, community meals, and charity boxes packed up and sent off to orphans. Thirteen people.

A new town. One reverend with a vision. That's how a community plants itself deep enough to still be standing when the marker goes up in 2008.

What the marker says

In 1921, thirteen area residents, under the leadership of a Rev. Curry, organized a congregation, originally known as First Missionary Baptist Church. This was the first church in the newly established Hockley City (now Levelland), and many early pioneers and leaders were members. Members completed a church building in 1926 at this location. The church's first ordained minister was B.E. Gunn, who also served as the town's first postmaster. Since its founding, members have been involved in missions. The church's rich history has also included activities such as maintaining a food pantry, preparing community meals and packing charity boxes for orphans. (2008)