DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Christian Church of Bay City. Now settle in, because this is a story about people who built something, lost it, and built it again — and then kept right on building. It starts in 1894, when the Bay City Town Company set down the town of Bay City on Bay Prairie, right there between the Colorado River and Caney Creek.
Fresh town, fresh start. And as families moved onto that new townsite, the things a community needs began to take shape — religious institutions, businesses, schools. The kind of roots that hold a place together when the wind picks up.
And out on the Gulf Coast, friend, the wind does pick up. On April 4, 1904 — that's your anchor date — three trustees by the names of W. T.
Goode, J. E. May, and William Cash went ahead and purchased several lots in town.
The purpose was plain: to construct the first permanent house of worship for the First Christian Church of Bay City. That building became sanctuary, church school, and social center all rolled into one for the new congregation. A whole community life lived under one roof.
Then came 1909. A hurricane. And just like that, that first permanent house of worship was gone.
Destroyed. Now here's where you find out what a congregation is truly made of — members of the First Christian Church rebuilt their sanctuary. Didn't fold.
Didn't scatter. Rebuilt it. And they kept their traditions of worship and evangelism going, even sponsoring an inter-denominational revival meeting in 1912.
The story keeps moving. In 1939, they purchased and relocated a chapel and community center that had formerly been owned by The Texas Gulf Sulphur Company down in Old Gulf — sixteen miles south. Picked the whole thing up and brought it to serve their congregation.
That is a particular kind of determination. Then the forties and fifties brought a period of growth, and with growth comes the need for more room. So in 1954, they purchased additional land, and by 1960 they had constructed a larger sanctuary to hold what had become of that congregation born from those first lots W.
T. Goode, J. E.
May, and William Cash purchased back at the turn of the century. Over the years, the pews of the First Christian Church of Bay City have held civic leaders, leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination, talented musicians, and several who went on into the ordained ministry. And through it all, the congregation has continued providing assistance to those in the community in need.
A 1909 hurricane took their first building. They rebuilt. That's not just church history — that's the whole story right there.
What the marker says
In 1894, the Bay City Town Company established the town of Bay City on Bay Prairie between the Colorado River and Caney Creek. As families moved to the new townsite, religious institutions, businesses and schools were established to serve the growing population. On April 4, 1904, trustees W. T. Goode, J. E. May and William Cash purchased several lots in town on which to construct the first permanent house of worship for the First Christian Church of Bay City. The First Christian Church building served as sanctuary, church school and social center for the new congregation until its destruction in a 1909 hurricane. Members of the church rebuilt their sanctuary and continued their traditions of worship and evangelism, including sponsoring an inter-denominational revival meeting in 1912. In 1939, they purchased and relocated a chapel and community center formerly owned by The Texas Gulf Sulphur Company in Old Gulf (16 mi. S) for their use. A period of growth in the 1940s-50s led to the purchase of additional land in 1954 and the construction of a larger sanctuary in 1960. Members of the First Christian Church of Bay City have included civic leaders, leaders in the Disciples of Christ denomination, talented musicians, and several who have gone into the ordained ministry. The congregation provides assistance to those in the community in need, as it continues to reflect the ideals and traditions of its founders. (2001)