First Baptist Church of Kerrville

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. Now, eleven is not a big number. Eleven people.

That's barely enough to fill a couple of pews. But in June of 1887, eleven charter members got together in Kerrville and organized what they called the Kerrville Baptist Church, and friend, that little seed had some deep roots in it. They weren't even meeting in their own building at first.

No sir, they were sharing space in a Union church with other denominations in the community, which, if you've ever tried to share a kitchen at a church potluck, you understand requires a certain kind of patience and grace. Seven years went by, and the congregation decided it was time for a new name. They became the First Baptist Church of Kerrville, and the name stuck like caliche on a boot heel.

Then came 1897, and they finally built their own sanctuary. A real, dedicated house of worship, theirs and nobody else's. Now, a building like that is a statement.

It says we're not just passin' through. But the story wasn't done. That first sanctuary gave way to a brick building in 1914, which tells you the congregation was growing, and growing with intention.

And then, in 1951, the present house of worship was completed. Three buildings across the decades, each one a little larger, a little more permanent, a little more woven into the fabric of Kerrville itself. The marker says this church has been a part of Kerrville history for over one hundred years, and it continues to serve the community.

Eleven people in a borrowed room. That's where it started. Not a bad return on eleven.

What the marker says

Kerrville Baptist Church was organized in June 1887 with eleven charter members. Seven years later the name was changed to First Baptist Church of Kerrville. Originally meeting in a Union church with other denominations in the community, the Baptist congregation built its first sanctuary in 1897. It was replaced by a brick building in 1914, and the present house of worship was completed in 1951. A part of Kerrville history for over one hundred years, this church continues to serve the community. (1988)