|
Gregg County Churches F's First Baptist Chruch of Gladewater: Between 1849 and 1853 under the name of Bethel Baptist. After the Civil War the original log building was replaced and given the new name of New Bethel Baptist Church. after 1899 it was moved and became the First Baptist Church. First Baptist Church
of Kilgore: On October 11, 1902, the five charter members
of this congregation met and formed the Missionary Baptist Church
of Kilgore. They were Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Choice, Mr. and Mrs.
J. I. Choice, and Miss Lizzie Clinkscales. The Rev. P. J. Vermillion
served as first pastor. The church's first sanctuary was constructed
in 1906, during the pastorate of the Rev. J. A. Lee. It served
the small village congregation for nearly 30 years, until the
Kilgore oil boom of the 1930s increased tremendously both the
population of the town and the membership of the First Baptist
Church. The First Baptist Church of Longview: (Pictures) This congregation has been in continuous existence since 1871, when fifteen people led by the Rev. D. S. Snodgrass gathered together to form a new church. Known charter members, whose names are inscribed in marble in the church sanctuary are: Mr & Mrs F L Whaley, Mr & Mrs W G Northcutt, Mr & Mrs F J Harrison and their daughter, Mrs A W Morrison, The Rev and Mrs L S Markham, Dr T M Coleman, Mrs & Mrs A B Tankersley, Mrs W F Young, and the Rev and Mrs Snodgrass.In 1874 the Texas and Pacific Railway Company deeded two town lots to the Baptist church at the corner of Fredonia and South streets. The first sanctuary, a small frame building, was erected late that year. Also in 1874, the congregation called its first full-time pastor, the Rev. Dr. A. Eagan Clemmons. Over the years, the church purchased additional property adjacent to its original two lots. As the congregation grew, more church buildings were erected and later replaced with larger structures. A red brick sanctuary which replaced the original frame structure in 1901 was in turn replaced by a larger building in 1914. continued expansion led to further building programs over the years. In addition to serving its own members, the First Baptist Church has been instrumental in establishing new congregations in the community, including Northside Baptist Church, Valley View Baptist Church, Moberly Avenue Baptist Church, and Oakland Heights Baptist Church. It continues to serve the community with a variety of religious and educational programs. First Christian Chruch of
Gladewater: The First Christian Church held its first
meeting August 4, 1936. They signed their charter on October 4,
1936 with 21 adults and 17 children attending. The members were:
Mr. & Mrs. J.A. Moore, Mr. & Mrs. S. A. Moore, Fred Greens,
C. C. Hickey, M. L. Lawrence, W. V. Selig, C. V. Atkinson, Mrs.
N. L. Roe, Mrs. Joe Eversole, Miss Juanita Eversole, Mrs. E. C.
Ship, Mrs. Sadie Donaldson, Miss Irene Alford and Mrs. C. E. Ellis.
The church met in many places until their first building was built
in 1937. Some of their meeting places were the First Methodist
Church, the Broadway School Auditorium, the Labor Temple and the
Presbyterian Tabernacle. The present church was made possible
by a First Christian Church of Longview: This church was organized in 1875 by 12 charter members. The congregation met in a schoolhouse until a frame sanctuary was built later that year on land deeded to the church by the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company. James P.Holloway, a prominent area landowner, served as first pastor. A new church building, erected in 1906, was replaced with a brick sanctuary at this site in 1936. The church continues a long tradition of supporting numerous ministries by offering various worship and outreach programs and activities to the community. First Church of God in Kilgore: It began meeting in 1939 in members homes. In 1940 a church was built. First Chruch of the Nazarene of Longview: 1935 First Cumberland Presbyterian of Longview: 1935 First Lutheran Church of Longview: Abt. 1936 First Methodist Church of
Gladewater: The First Methodist Church of Gladewater had
its beginning on Oct. 1, 1922 in the home of Mr. & Mrs. J.
A. Godfrey. The Rev. H. T. Perritte from the First Methodist Church
of Longview supervised the organization. Those present were:
Mr. & Mrs. J. A. Godfrey, Gordon Godfrey, Wilson Godfrey,
Mr. & Mrs. C. V. Rhodes, Mr. & Mrs. N. E. Porter, Mr.
& Mrs. G. A. Cox, Mrs. John Jeter, Mrs. Jeff Johnson, Mrs.
Carl Everett and T. M. Wadsworth. Other charter members not present
were: Mrs. Lillian Hendrix, Mrs. Tom Cole, Mrs. Sam Kay, Mrs.
J. W. McComic, Bonnie Cox, Ruby Cox, Mr. & Mrs. C. A. Magrill
and the lay preacher E. A. Hearne. By 1923 there were 45 members.
The Lyle Jeters were early additions, with Mr. Jeter being elected
Sunday School Superintendant in 1924 and holding this office until
his death in 1948. Mrs. Jeter was a devoted & generous leader
in the church for 50 years and served 26 of those years as the
communion steward. For 10 years the church was in the Winona Circuit,
sharing a pastor with 2-5 other churches. A ministerial student,
Rev. J. L. Willis was the first pastor. He preached every first
Sunday in Gladewater, however Sunday School services were held
every Sunday. A small one room frame building was built as the
churches very first sanctuary and was located just south of the
Brodway Elementary School on land donated by the Godfrey family.
The First Methodist Church of Longview donated a semi-pipe hand-pump
organ. Sometime later a tin plate canvas of the town netted $150
and a piano was purchased. In 1931 the oil boom hit Gladewater
and the First Methodist Church was bursting at its seams. A fill
time pastor and a larger church became a necessity. The present
church site at the corner of Quitman & Ferry was purchased.
In 1933 a modern, 7 room brick parsonage was built. In 1935 the
red brick, split leverl church with cathedral stained glass windows
was built, costing $19,000+. The building fund was generously
helped by the oil well drilled on the old church ground. The dedication
ceremony was in 1937 with Mr. & Mrs. J. A. Godfrey donating
a walnut grand piano. In 1949 an educational building was added,
being completed in 1951. It provided a modern fellowship hall,
a kitchen, sunday school classrooms, a pastors study and other
office space. Radio broadcasts of the Sunday morning services
began in the early 1950's. In 1954 the church joyfully celebrated
the paying off of the church debt and burned the cancelled note
and air conditioned the church. In First Methodist Church of Longview (Once known as the Methodist Epispocal) First Presbyterian Church
of Kilgore: In 1840 to 1849 it was called the Old School
Presbyterian Chruch and services were held in a gin house. In
1849 it was Gum Springs Presbyterian Chruch and was at Danville,
located on land that was purchased from Haden Edwards and 5 acres
donated each from Edwards and C. W. Scott. At that time there
were only 2 Presbyterian families in the area, the C.W. Scotts
and the S. S. Barnetts. In the fall of 1849 Scott and neightbors
built a log house and an occasional sermon was held by a Methodist
or Cumberland minister. Rev. J. M. Becton made an appointment
to preach on the first Sunday in October of 1850. The following
Monday the church was organized and C. W. Scott moved that it
be named Gum Spring after a large spring in that area. Rev. Becton
was their minister for about 2 years. A Rev. Robert First Presbyterian of Longview: This church was established by nine resident members of the Old School Southern Presbyterian Church as a mission in the new town of Longview in 1872. The first church building was erected on land donated by the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1874. The Rev. James H. Wiggins was installed as the first full-time pastor. The congregation helped establish two mission churches in the area by 1894. A new church building was constructed in 1900 and a third at this site in 1940. The congregation continues to sponsor outreach and missionary programs in Longview and in other parts of the world. First United Pentecostal
Church of Gladewater: (This was taken from the Gladewater
Mirror, May 17, 2000)-First United Pentecostal Church Celebrates
80 Years - The roots of the First United Pentescostal Church reach
back to 1920, when Reverend Jessie Havard conducted a revival
in the Rock Springs School House, located about 3 miles from Gladewater
off the Old Tyler Hwy. From the Rock Springs revival the congregation
began having services in the Friendship School building.
Later they met in the homes of the believers. Charlie Pounders
donated the land in the Friendship Community to build a church
building and suggested naming it "Mars Hill" Church. Jim
T Warren, a local resident, had a log wagon and a good team of
mules. He cut the timbers and hauled the logs to the saw
mill to be made into lumber for the new building. The men
of the community who were favorable, joined together and the building
became a reality in 1921. By the late 1930's, some of the people
had moved into Gladewater and others were driving to Gladewater
to the church that had been started in town. Shortly thereafter
a building, formerly used as a cafe, on the corner of North Main
and Gay Avenue, was rented. They continued having services
at this location while the "Mars Hill" building was being torn
down and the materials used to build the present building at 200
Melba Ave. The floor joists used in the "Mars Hill" church
are the same used in the present building, built in 1941. Reverend
L J Hosch, Sectional Elder of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus
Christ was the overseer for the construction of the building.
The Pentescostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ and the Pentecostal
Church, Inc, merged in 1945 , forming the United Pentecostal Church.
Among the former Pastors of the local assembly were, U A Massey,
Eldredge Lewis, Marshall Davis, M E Precise, L L Stevens and J
T Warren. |
Copyright
© 2007 - present by TXGenWeb
(Please read our copyright page
for a better understanding of our copyright needs.)
COPYRIGHT
NOTICE
Materials on this site are provided for the free use of persons who are researching
their family history. Data may be freely used by non-commercial and/or completely
free entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material.
Any commercial use, without the prior consent of the host/author of the materials
provided on this site, is prohibited. The electronic pages on this site may
not be reproduced in any format for profit.
Notice to Webmasters: You may not copy and paste the information on any of the pages of this site onto another web page without first obtaining explicit permission to do so and without including the copyright notice.