First Baptist Church of Goliad

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Goliad. Now settle in, because this congregation has weathered more than a few storms, literal and otherwise. It starts the way the best Texas stories do: outside, under an oak tree, in 1849.

The Reverend John F. Hillyer gathered twelve charter members beneath those branches and organized the First Baptist Church of Goliad. Twelve people.

One oak tree. That was the whole church. From there, the congregation moved around, meeting in a number of locations over the years, never quite putting down permanent roots until 1899, when they finally built their first proper church building.

Fifty years in the making. You'd think that would be the end of the searching. You would be wrong.

That first building was destroyed in a cyclone. Gone. So the congregation picked themselves up, crossed town, and worshiped in the Christian Church while they figured out what came next.

What came next was a new facility, erected in 1907. Now here is where the story takes another hard turn, because 1919 brought a storm that destroyed the 1907 building. Two buildings, two storms.

The same year that storm hit, the church was renamed the Mary E. Lott Memorial Baptist Church, in honor of a parishioner. Before 1954, a Mexican mission was organized under the church's work.

Then in 1959, the congregation took back the name it started with, First Baptist. And in 1984, a new building was dedicated. From twelve souls under an oak tree to a congregation still active in community outreach and missionary work, this church has been knocked down more than once, and every single time, it got back up.

What the marker says

The Rev. John F. Hillyer led 12 charter members in organizing the First Baptist Church of Goliad under an oak tree in 1849. The congregation met in a number of locations until 1899 when their first church building was constructed. That structure was destroyed in a cyclone and the group worshiped in the Christian Church until a new facility was erected in 1907. The 1907 building was destroyed in a 1919 storm, the same year the church was renamed Mary E. Lott Memorial Baptist Church in honor of a parishioner. A Mexican mission was organized before 1954. The church was renamed First Baptist in 1959. A new building was dedicated in 1984. The congregation continues to be active in community outreach and missionary work. (1999)