First Baptist Church of Madisonville

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Baptist Church of Madisonville. Now settle in, because this congregation's story takes a good long while to tell, and every twist of it is worth the ride. It starts in 1856, two years after Madisonville itself came into being.

A missionary named J. W. D.

Creath, working on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention in the young State of Texas, deeded two town lots south of this very site to the trustees of the Madisonville Baptist Church. Two lots. That's your foundation, right there, and it was barely enough to stand on.

Then the years got lean, and that congregation, well, it adjourned. That word does a lot of quiet work. Adjourned.

Not dissolved, not forgotten. Just, adjourned. Meanwhile, out in the countryside, about four miles from town, something was stirring.

In 1877, from a revival meeting held in that open air, a congregation called the Liberty Baptist Church was born. Four years later, the Liberty Church received an invitation from Madisonville residents, probably including some of those very members of the adjourned Madisonville Baptist Church, to come on into town. They accepted.

And once they were together, they got to work. Despite lean years, the congregation erected its first permanent home, and it took shape between 1889 and 1890. Now here is where the story gets its warmth.

The church women led the fund raising efforts to provide a bell and an organ for that new building. A bell and an organ. They didn't wait for someone else to make it happen.

Then 1902 arrived, and with it a statewide Baptist division. Six members left to form the Madisonville Missionary Baptist Church. The original congregation, carrying on through all of it, became the First Baptist Church in 1903.

Two congregations now, standing apart. But not for long. In 1913, the two were reunited, with a combined membership of two hundred and seventeen souls.

The very next year, weekly services began. A new building went up. A church complex started taking shape, piece by piece.

By the 1950s, the congregation had grown active in mission work, supporting a total of eighteen missions. And in 1983, the First Baptist Hispanic Mission of Madisonville was established, carrying that work forward through the rest of the twentieth century. One congregation, born from a revival in a field, moved into town on an invitation, survived division and reunion, built and rebuilt, rang a bell the women raised money for, and just kept going.

The founders built a tradition of community service, worship, and mission work. And many of their descendants, the marker tells us, are still at it. Some stories don't end.

They just keep showing up on Sunday.

What the marker says

In 1856, two years after the formation of Madisonville, J. W. D. Creath, a missionary to the fledgling State of Texas for the Southern Baptist Convention, deeded two town lots south of this site to the trustees of Madisonville Baptist Church. In 1877 the Liberty Baptist Church was born from a revival meeting held about four miles from town. Four years later the Liberty Church accepted an invitation from Madisonville residents, probably including members of the adjourned Madisonville Baptist Church, to move into town. Despite lean years, the congregation erected its first permanent home in 1889-1890. Church women led fund raising efforts to provide a bell and organ for the new building. In 1902, as part of a statewide Baptist division, six members left the church to form the Madisonville Missionary Baptist church and the original congregation became the First Baptist Church in 1903. The two congregations were reunited in 1913 with a combined membership of 217. The following year, weekly services began. A new building was erected and a church complex began to take shape. The congregation became active in mission work in the 1950s, supporting a total of eighteen missions. In 1983, the First Baptist Hispanic Mission of Madisonville was established. This work continued through the 20th century. The founders of the First Baptist Church of Madisonville built a tradition of community service, worship and mission work. Many descendants of the early members continue to uphold that tradition, serving the community with a variety of programs. (1998)