Harris Creek Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best by every word. Way out in McLennan County, there's a church with roots that go all the way back to a living room. The Harris Creek Baptist Fellowship didn't start with steeples or stained glass.

It started in somebody's home, the home of Aquilla and Delila Jones, where neighbors gathered for worship services and made do with what they had. Then in 1872, Aquilla and Delila did something that tends to outlast just about everything else a person can do. They gave.

They deeded one point six acres of their land, set aside for a church, a schoolhouse, and a cemetery. One piece of ground carrying three of the biggest things a community needs: a place to learn, a place to pray, and a place to rest. By 1879 the fellowship had grown enough to join the Leon River Baptist Association, and in time they'd also become part of the Waco Baptist Association.

The congregation kept on. Years passed. The work continued.

Then came 1928, after what the marker calls a period of growth, and during the pastorate of the Reverend Kermit Melugin, a new sanctuary went up. A proper church building, raised by a congregation that had come a long way from that front room on the Jones place. Now here's the thing about a church that's truly rooted in a community.

It tends to make room. Starting in 1932 and running all the way through 1960, a Methodist congregation shared that same facility. Different name on the door, same door.

And the story doesn't end there either. In 1977, a new brick auditorium was dedicated, the latest chapter in a story that started with one couple, one living room, and one and a half acres of faith. Aquilla and Delila Jones gave the ground.

Everything built on it since is the answer to that gift.

What the marker says

Worship services of the Harris Creek Baptist Church were held for a time in the home of Aquilla and Delila Jones. In 1872 the couple gave this 1.6-acre site for construction of a church and schoolhouse and for a cemetery. In 1879 the fellowship joined Leon River Baptist Association and later Waco Baptist Association. In 1928 after a period of growth a new sanctuary was erected during the pastorate of the Rev. Kermit Melugin. A methodist congregation shared the facility from 1932 until 1960. A new brick auditorium was dedicated in 1977.