First Baptist Church of Hale Center

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out on the South Plains, organized religion in Hale County traces its roots all the way back to 1883. That's when a Methodist minister named Horatio Graves brought his family to the area and became the first permanent settlers of the region.

Now think about that for a moment. No town yet. No courthouse, no Main Street, no nothing.

Just the Graves family, the wind, and a whole lot of sky. Their home became everything the community needed at once: a gathering place, a school, and a union church, all under one roof. A post office followed in 1884, and they gave it the name Epworth.

Then a second community called Hale City sprouted up two miles away, and in 1893 those two settlements decided there was no sense being neighbors from a distance, so they combined to form Hale Center. But let's back up just a hair, because something important happened in 1891. Twelve people, just twelve, came together with a purpose.

They organized the Hale City Missionary Baptist Church. Twelve folks with enough conviction to call it a church, call a pastor, and get to work. The man they called was the Reverend I.B.

Kimbrough, their very first pastor. Early worship services were held wherever the community could make room, in the Epworth schoolhouse, in the Hale City schoolhouse. Borrowed space, borrowed benches, but the faith was their own.

When the congregation moved to Hale Center in 1893, they kept right on meeting where they could, in the schoolhouse and even in the Methodist church, until finally, in 1908, the First Baptist sanctuary of its own was completed. That's a long time to be worshiping in borrowed rooms, and it says something about the patience and the persistence of that congregation. Growth kept coming after that, leading to building program after building program over the years.

And through all of it, the First Baptist Church of Hale Center stayed engaged with its community, maintaining an interest in both foreign and domestic missionary endeavors, and continuing to offer worship, education, and outreach right up to the day this marker was placed in 1991. Twelve people in a schoolhouse in 1891. Some seeds take root deeper than you'd expect.

What the marker says

Organized religion in Hale County can be traced to 1883, when Methodist minister Horatio Graves and his family became the first permanent settlers of the area. Their home became a community gathering place, school, and union church. A post office was established under the name Epworth in 1884. A second community, Hale City, was established two miles away, and in 1893 the two settlements combined to form Hale Center. In 1891 twelve people gathered together to form Hale City Missionary Baptist Church. They called the Rev. I.B. Kimbrough as their first pastor. Early worship serviced were held in the Epworth and Hale City schoolhouses, and in 1893 the congregation moved to Hale Center. Services were held in the schoolhouse and in the Methodist church until the First Baptist sanctuary was completed in 1908. Continued growth over the years led to subsequent building programs. Throughout its history, the First Baptist Church has played an active role in its community. The congregation has consistently maintained an interest in both foreign and domestic missionary endeavors. It continues to serve the community with a variety of worship, educational, and outreach programs. (1991)