First Christian Church of Temple

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Back in 1880, the Santa Fe Railroad organized a town called Temple, and right from the start they were thinking about community. The railroad offered lots, free of charge, to any church that would put up a building on the site.

Now that's one way to build a town with some soul in it. For a few years, things were quiet on that particular front, but in 1888 a group of Christians decided it was time. They called in an evangelist, the Reverend W.

S. Lockhart, with one purpose in mind: organize a congregation. And within a year, they had done exactly that.

They secured a site for a church building between Central Avenue and Avenue A, and they called the Reverend C. H. Strawn as their first pastor.

Reverend Strawn got to work. He didn't just preach on Sundays and call it done. He organized the official church board, got the Ladies' Aid Society up and running, and stood up the Sunday School.

The bones of a real, lasting congregation were taking shape. And those bones grew fast. So fast, in fact, that by 1903 the members had outgrown what they had and moved into a new building, this one on the corner of 3rd Street and Adams Avenue.

Progress kept right on coming. In 1909 the graded Sunday School system was adopted. In 1914 an educational annex was added.

The years that followed saw the Bell County Convention of Christian Churches formed. The Men's Bible Class flourished. The women of the congregation united under a new name, the Women's Council.

The church began sponsoring the Boy Scouts of America. And devoted members, people who had given their lives to this place, willed portions of their estates to keep it going. All of that loyalty, all of that quiet generosity, added up.

By 1948 a modern building was dedicated. And the congregation that started with an evangelist and a borrowed piece of ground in 1888 celebrated its centennial in 1988. One hundred years.

Started by a railroad offer and a group of Christians who believed a town needs more than tracks to hold it together.

What the marker says

When the Santa Fe Railroad organized Temple in 1880, it offered lots to any church that would erect a building on the site. In 1888 a group of Christian called an evangelist, the Rev. W. S. Lockhart, in an effort to organize a congregation. Within a year, they had secured a site for a church building between Central Avenue and Avenue A and had called the Rev. C. H. Strawn as their first pastor. The Rev. Mr. Strawn organized such church groups as the official church board, the Ladies' Aid Society, and the Sunday School. The congregation grew so rapidly by by 1903 its members had moved into a new building on the corner of 3rd Street and Adams Avenue. In 1909 the graded Sunday School system was adopted, and an educational annex was added in 1914. The next years saw active growth. The Bell County Convention of Christian Churches was formed, the Men's Bible Class flourished, the ladies of the church united to become the Women's Council, the church began to sponsor the Boy Scouts of America. Many devoted members willed portions of their estates to the church, and by 1948 a modern building was dedicated. Continued member support enabled the church to celebrate its centennial in 1988. (1997)