First Baptist Church of Rochester

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just as it stands. Thirteen. That's the number you need to hold onto as we start this story.

Thirteen charter members, gathered together in March of 1899, and they organized the Mesquite Baptist Church in the community that would later be known as Marcy. Thirteen people deciding that something permanent ought to take root in that West Texas soil. J.

R. Wood and J. M.

Speck stepped up as the first deacons. And then in October of 1900, interim pastor D. James was called as the first minister.

The congregation had its leaders. Now it needed a home. Plans for a permanent building were set in motion in June of 1901, and when April of 1903 rolled around, they held their first service in that new building.

Right there at that milestone, the church took a new name: the Marcy Missionary Baptist Church. A new name, a new building, a congregation putting down roots. But here's where the story takes a turn, because the roots didn't stay where they were planted.

In 1906, the railroad came through Rochester. Now when the railroad comes to town in that era, everybody pays attention. The Marcy congregation paid very close attention.

They made their decision. They picked up and moved to be near it. The first service at Rochester was held in October of 1906, and from that new location, the congregation thrived.

Years passed. Decades passed. And in 1957, a third sanctuary was dedicated, a building that speaks to just how far thirteen charter members' faith had carried things.

The church is still there, still serving the community, still running a variety of programs. Thirteen people in 1899 started something that outlasted the town they started in, followed the railroad to a new home, and kept right on going.

What the marker says

Thirteen charter members organized the Mesquite Baptist Church in March 1899 in the community later known as Marcy. J. R. Wood and J. M. Speck were the first deacons, and interim pastor D. James was called as first minister in October 1900. Plans for a permanent home for the congregation were set in motion in June 1901. The first service in the new building was held in April 1903 when the church name was changed to Marcy Missionary Baptist Church. When the railroad came through Rochester in 1906, the Marcy congregation moved to be near it. The first service at Rochester was held in October 1906. The congregation thrived at its new location. A third sanctuary was dedicated in 1957. The church continues to serve the community with a variety of programs. (1998)