Gribble Springs Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it: this one's from Denton County, and it's worth a listen. Twenty-three members. That's where we start.

Twenty-three folks from the Pond Creek community got together in 1871 and said, we're building something that lasts. They called it Gribble Springs Baptist Church, and they meant business. The Rev.

W.C. West stepped up as the first pastor, leading a congregation that didn't even have a proper building yet. No, sir.

They met in a schoolhouse. Now, there's something almost fitting about that (a community learning and a community praying, sharing the same roof). Then came 1896, and the church reorganized as Gribble Springs Missionary Baptist Church.

Whatever the reasons, whatever the shifting winds of those years, the members came through it and have remained active from that point forward without interruption. By 1904, they finally had a sanctuary of their own. Four walls and a roof built by the hands of that congregation.

But here's the part that tells you everything about these people: that building has been replaced. Twice. Not once.

Twice. Through the hard work of the membership, each time. No outside cavalry.

Just the same community, rolling up its sleeves, raising something new where the old one stood. Now Denton County is growing fast, turning more urban by the year, and Gribble Springs Baptist Church is still there. Still serving.

Still standing as a reminder of what early life in this corner of Texas looked like, built by twenty-three people who simply decided it was worth the effort.

What the marker says

Twenty-three members of the congregation from the Pond Creek community established Gribble Springs Baptist Church in 1871. The Rev. W.C. West served as the first pastor. Gribble Springs Missionary Baptist Church reorganized in 1896, and members have remained active from that time forward. The congregation first met in a schoolhouse, before building a sanctuary in 1904. Since then, the church building has been replaced twice through the hard work of the membership. As Denton County becomes increasingly urban, the church continues to serve the community of Gribble Springs, where it remains a reminder of early life in this area. (2006)