Travis Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Travis Baptist Church in Nueces County. Pull up a chair — this one's got more moves than a tumbleweed in a West Texas wind. It starts out in London — not England, mind you, but a little rural farming community tucked into the southwest corner of Nueces County.

The year is 1911, and forty charter members come together to form the London Baptist Church. Forty folks, which is a respectable number for anywhere, let alone a farming community. They didn't have a church building yet, so they held services in the community school — a school that had been donated by Sam and Fanny London.

The Londons weren't done giving, either. In 1920, they donated property so the congregation could finally put up a proper church building of their own. Now, you'd think that would be the end of the hardship.

You would be wrong. 1936 rolls around, and that building is destroyed by fire. Gone. But here's the thing about a congregation that's already built itself once from the ground up — they built it again, and they built it quick.

Then comes the 1940s, and World War II reaches into that little London community the way it reached into every corner of Texas. Residents enlisted in the military. Others relocated to support the war effort.

The population of London declined, and the church felt it. But just as the war pulled people away, the peace brought a boom — and it was the Corpus Christi area that boomed. The Baptist General Convention of Texas looked at where the church members actually were living now and proposed something bold: relocate to Corpus Christi.

A site was selected near Travis Elementary School and the La Armada Housing Project, which housed Navy personnel. The congregation accepted, made the move in 1945, and in doing so, shed one name and took on another — London Baptist Church became Travis Baptist Church. But this congregation had apparently developed a taste for bold decisions, because it wasn't finished movin'.

In 1959, a survey conducted by the Baptist General Convention showed a need for a church out in the Schanen Estates area. Travis Baptist Church accepted that challenge too, and relocated once more — this time to property at the corner of Schanen Boulevard and Weber Road. Three locations.

One fire. One world war. And a congregation that just kept showing up.

These days, Travis Baptist Church participates every year in a community-wide Thanksgiving service and runs an annual summer camp for children. It has sponsored outreach programs reaching all the way to California and Maryland, and the Baptist General Convention has recognized it for its contributions to the ministry of Hispanic missions right here in south Texas. Forty charter members in a farming community school.

That's where it started. What it became is something else entirely.

What the marker says

In 1911, residents of the rural southwest Nueces County farming community of London formed the London Baptist Church. The congregation included forty charter members and services were held in the community's school which had been donated by Sam and Fanny London. The Londons donated property for the construction of a church building in 1920. Although the building was destroyed by fire in 1936, another was quickly constructed. World War II caused a decline in population in the London community as residents enlisted in the military or relocated to support the war effort. The Corpus Christi area boomed after the war, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas proposed that London Baptist Church relocate to Corpus Christi, where many church members lived. A site was selected near Travis Elementary School and the La Armada Housing Project, which housed Navy personnel. The church moved in 1945, and the congregation's name changed to Travis Baptist Church. When a survey conducted by the Baptist General Convention in 1959 showed the need for a church in the Schanen Estates area, the congregation again accepted the challenge to relocate to property at the corner of Schanen Boulevard and Weber Road. Travis Baptist Church participates yearly in a community-wide Thanksgiving service and sponsors an annual summer camp for children. The congregation has sponsored many outreach programs, including support of churches in California and Maryland, and has been recognized by the Baptist General Convention for its contributions to the ministry of Hispanic missions in south Texas. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011