First Christian Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Christian Church of Pecos, Reeves County. Now, every great institution has to start somewhere, and this one started in a hotel. The year was 1881, and a woman named Mrs.

Peyton Parker opened up a community Sunday School right there in the Parker Hotel. No grand sanctuary, no steeple catching the West Texas sun — just folks gathering to learn and worship in the middle of a rough and tumble frontier town. Among those early participants was a pharmacist by the name of B.

P. Van Horn, born in 1852. Now Van Horn apparently had more energy than most, because a decade later, in 1891, he arranged a revival.

And that revival was something. Out of it grew the First Christian Church — the very first church to be organized in the town of Pecos. No minister had shown up yet, so Van Horn himself stepped up as lay leader and kept the whole thing running on sheer determination.

But in 1895, Van Horn left. And when he left, the church disbanded. Just like that.

The first church in Pecos — gone quiet. Now you might think that was the end of the story. You would be wrong.

In 1898, two women — Mrs. Ed Vickers, born in 1870, and Mrs. R.

D. Gage — started a Ladies Aid Society. Quietly, steadily, they planned another revival.

That revival reactivated the fellowship. The congregation breathed again. Then in 1899, a lawyer named R.

D. Gage donated land so the congregation could build itself a proper sanctuary. And somewhere in there, during this period of renewal, a new member joined up — a physician named Dr.

Jim Camp, also born in 1870, who would go on to serve the people of Pecos as a doctor for over sixty years. Born 1870, died 1964. That is a life spent in service to one town, and the marker wants you to know it.

By 1905, the congregation had its first full-time pastor — the Reverend Homer Magee, born in 1882. That same year, the church building was picked up and moved to the very site where it stands today. And not long after, in 1908, following a revival led by the Reverend J.

L. Haddock, plans were drawn up for a permanent structure. Something built to last.

In 1909, a contractor named E. B. Kisser completed the edifice you can still see standing there — the oldest brick church building in Pecos.

That building has watched the town grow up around it. The years kept coming. Educational facilities were added during the pastorates of the Reverend Dr.

Oliver Harrison, who led the church from 1936 to 1941, and the Reverend Earl Bissex in 1952. Then in 1974, under the leadership of the Reverend Clark Ford, a round of recent remodeling was completed. From a Sunday School in a hotel room to the oldest brick church in Pecos — it took a pharmacist, two determined women, a generous lawyer, a sixty-year doctor, and a whole string of preachers to get it there.

That's not one story. That's a town finding its footing, one revival at a time.

What the marker says

This congregation grew out of a community Sunday School begun by Mrs. Peyton Parker in the Parker Hotel in 1881. One participant, pharmacist B. P. Van Horn (1852-1932), arranged a revival in 1891 that resulted in formation of the First Christian Church, the first church to be organized in Pecos. Van Horn acted as lay leader since there was no minister. When he left in 1895, the church disbanded until Mrs. Ed Vickers (1870-1950) and Mrs. R. D. Gage started a Ladies Aid Society in 1898. The society planned another revival which reactivated the fellowship. In 1899 lawyer R. D. Gage donated land for construction of a small sanctuary. One new member who joined the congregation during this period was Dr. Jim Camp (1870-1964), who served Pecos as a physician for over 60 years. In 1905 the Rev. Homer Magee (1882-1921) became full-time pastor. That same year, the church building was moved to this site. Plans for the present structure were made in 1908, after a revival led by the Rev. J. L. Haddock. In 1909 contractor E. B. Kisser completed this edifice, the oldest brick church building in Pecos. Educational facilities were added during pastorates of the Rev. Dr. Oliver Harrison, 1936-41, and the Rev. Earl Bissex, 1952, Recent remodeling was completed in 1974, under the leadership of the Rev. Clark Ford. (1975)