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Originally known as the United Baptist Church, this fellowship was established through the leadership of the Rev. Noah Turner Byars, a pioneer preacher and founder of the Trinity River Baptist Association. The church organizational meeting was conducted in 1848 with early Texas Baptist leaders Judge R. E. B. Baylor and the Rev. Z. N. Morrell presiding. Worship services were first held in a community building shared with the local Presbyterian and Methodist congregations. In 1865, during the pastorate of the Rev. S. G. Mullins, the members moved to a vacant store at the corner of Third Avenue and Eleventh Street, where they worshiped for ten years. Sanctuaries were constructed at two other sites before the church moved to this location in 1901. An educational building, added later, was named for an early member and benefactor, Kate Stiteler McKie. Prominent pastors here have included the Rev. W. B. Bagby, first Southern Baptist missionary to Brazil, and the Rev. J. Howard Williams, later president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Active in mission work, the church has served as sponsor for four area congregations: Memorial, Calvary, Northside, and Iglesia Bautista Calvario. |
