South Main Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, most churches start with four walls and a roof. This one started with a tent.

The year was 1903, and a man named Livingston T. Mays — state evangelist for the Baptist General Convention of Texas — pitched that tent right at the corner of Tuam and Fannin in Houston. He held a revival meeting, and thirty-two local Baptists showed up.

Some of them were already members of existing congregations. Didn't matter. Something about that meeting, something about that corner, made them want to start something new.

They formed a church on the spot and called Mays himself to be their pastor. They built a sanctuary right there where the tent had stood, and in March of 1904, they gave their new church a name: Tuam Avenue Baptist Church. Simple.

Rooted. Right where it began. Now, churches have a way of either fading or catching fire, and this one caught fire.

By 1920, the congregation had grown to more than three hundred members. That kind of growth tends to make a building feel a little snug. So they purchased a new site and put up a temporary structure — designed by an architect named Alfred Finn — while they figured out what came next.

What came next was bold. They renamed themselves South Main Baptist Church, and they hired the noted firm of Sanguinet, Staats, Hedrick and Gottlieb to design an entirely new campus. That was 1924.

The design started with Spanish and Moorish influences — ornate, sun-warmed, a little dramatic — and it evolved from there, shifting over the years toward strong Northern Italian elements. Six years in the making. When it was finally done, in March of 1930, the congregation had grown to nearly fifteen hundred souls, and they dedicated that new structure with a full week of services led by Dr.

George W. Truett, a prominent Baptist leader. A week of services.

They weren't in any hurry to stop celebrating. The decades kept coming, and South Main kept reaching. Following World War II, the congregation deepened its commitment to local and national mission churches, working in cooperation with the Union Baptist Association.

Then in 1955, they expanded their outreach to radio and television broadcasts — bringing services right into people's homes. And the community around South Main kept changing too. The church responded by opening its doors — and its services — to non-English speaking immigrants.

Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, Chinese. The congregation that started with thirty-two Baptists at a tent revival became something genuinely multicultural, offering ministry in languages that Livingston T. Mays almost certainly never preached in.

Through it all, South Main has kept a library, robust Sunday School and Bible study programs, and a steady commitment to independent religious thought and community service. A tent at the corner of Tuam and Fannin. Thirty-two people.

And from that canvas ceiling, a church that kept growing until the sky was the only roof that seemed big enough.

What the marker says

In 1903, state evangelist Livingston T. Mays of the Baptist General Convention of Texas held a tent revival meeting at the corner of Tuam and Fannin, with 32 local Baptists, including many from existing congregations, forming a new church and calling Mays to be pastor. They built a sanctuary at the site of the tent revival and in March of 1904, adopted the name Tuam Avenue Baptist Church. The church grew quickly and, with more than 300 members in 1920, purchased a new site for a temporary structure designed by architect Alfred Finn. Renaming themselves South Main Baptist Church, members hired the noted firm Sanguinet, Staats, Hedrick & Gottlieb as architects for a new campus in 1924. The design evolved, beginning with Spanish and Moorish influences, and was completed in 1930 with strong Northern Italian elements. The congregation, having grown to nearly 1,500, dedicated its new structure in March 1930 with week-long services led by Dr. George W. Truett, a prominent Baptist leader. The campus grew, along with the congregation, which expanded its outreach in 1955 with radio and television broadcasts of services. Following World War II, the congregation’s commitment to local and national mission churches increased, and the church worked in cooperation with the Union Baptist Association. South Main’s many outreach efforts have included ministries for non-English speaking immigrants, with services in Korean, Japanese, Cambodian and Chinese. With a library and extensive Sunday School and Bible study programs, the multicultural church has emphasized education throughout its history, with a continued commitment to independent religious thought and community service. (2003)