First Baptist Church of White Settlement

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Six charter members. That's all it took to get something started that's still standing in Tarrant County today.

Back in 1868, three couples came together and established a congregation they called New Prospect Baptist Church. Joseph and Melinda Jane Farmer. James and Sally Young.

Lawrence and E. A. Steel.

Six people, three families, one shared conviction. They called the Reverend J. C.

Powers as their first pastor, and they met in a place called Grant's School, a one-room log cabin that pulled double duty as a community center. Humble beginnings, no question about it. But humble beginnings have a funny way of lasting.

Now, things stayed fairly modest for a good long while. The congregation kept a small membership through the decades, meeting, worshipping, holding on. Then came 1905, and a bit of generosity that changed the shape of things.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dearing gave the church an acre of land, then sold the congregation another acre on top of that, all for the purpose of building a permanent house of worship in the White Settlement community. Three years after that land deal, the name changed.

New Prospect Baptist Church became White Settlement Baptist Church. A new name, a new building, roots going deeper. Then May of 1946 arrives, and the sky itself seems to have other ideas.

A lightning strike. The church building burned to the ground. Just like that, gone.

The congregation didn't scatter, though. They moved into an adjacent school facility, made their plans, and by 1953 a new building was completed. Around that same era, the surrounding area was changing fast.

The development of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Carswell Air Force Base, and associated industries brought a surge in population to the area, and the church grew right along with it. During those years, White Settlement Baptist Church helped found a number of new congregations throughout Tarrant County, and built strong programs in education, mission, and outreach. In 1954, the congregation took the name it carries today: First Baptist Church of White Settlement.

Six charter members in 1868 planted something that weathered decades of quiet, survived a lightning strike, grew through a boom, and kept reaching outward. The marker says the congregation has played a significant role in the religious history of Tarrant County, and continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders. Six people.

Three couples. And here we still are.

What the marker says

Six charter members established this congregation in 1868 and named it New Prospect Baptist Church. The founding members - Joseph and Melinda Jane Farmer, James and Sally Young, and Lawrence and E. A. Steel -called the Rev. J. C. Powers as their first pastor. They met in Grant's School, a one-room log cabin that also served as a community center. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dearing gave the church an acre of land and then sold another acre to the church for the purpose of building a permanent house of worship in the White Settlement community in 1905. Three years later the name was changed to White Settlement Baptist Church. A lightning strike in May 1946 caused the church building to burn to the ground. Members met in an adjacent school facility while plans were made for a new building, which was completed in 1953. The congregation maintained a fairly small membership until the 1940s and 1950s when nearby development of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Carswell Air Force Base and associated industries brought a surge in the area's population. During this time, White Settlement Baptist Church helped found a number of new congregations in the county and developed strong programs of education, mission and outreach to the community. Known as the First Baptist Church of White Settlement since 1954, the congregation has played a significant role in the religious history of Tarrant County and continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders. (2001)