First Baptist Church Diboll

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Diboll. Way back in 1897, the Southern Pine Lumber Company built something they called a Union Church, right there in Diboll, and the Baptists and Methodists shared it. Now, sharing a church building takes a certain kind of neighborly spirit, and these folks had it.

But Baptists being Baptists, they had their own plans brewin'. By 1915, the congregation had acquired land from the Copes family heirs, and then sometime in the 1920s, they went and built themselves a large frame church building. A proper home of their own.

Then came 1935, and with it, the first full-time pastor the congregation had ever called. His name was Reverend Martin Smith, and he wasn't just passin' through. He stayed in that role for nine years, tending to that flock while the congregation kept on growin'.

And grow it did. By 1952, the church incorporated, with George Smith, A.F. Vaughn, and V.B.

McKinney serving as trustees. New property near White Oak Creek was purchased, and here's the part worth holdin' onto: that same site is where the church still stands today. From a borrowed building shared with the Methodists, to land by the creek, to a campus that reaches out to neighbors, plants new churches, and supports missions around the world.

That's not a short story. That's a long walk in the same direction.

What the marker says

In 1897, the Southern Pine Lumber Company built a Union Church shared by Baptists and Methodists of Diboll. The Baptists acquired land from Copes family heirs in 1915 and built a large frame church building in the 1920s. Reverend Martin Smith was called as the first full-time pastor in 1935, and he continued in that role for nine years. As the congregation continued to grow, the church incorporated in 1952 with George Smith, A.F. Vaughn and V.B. McKinney as trustees. New property near White Oak Creek was purchased and remains the site of the church today. The campus and the outreach have grown through the years to include helping neighbors, planting new churches and supporting missions around the world.