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(Disciples of Christ) The first known record of a Christian (Disciples of Christ) church in Tyler appears in an 1859 deed that secured title to property on which a red brick sanctuary was built. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the fellowship was disbanded. For two decades Tyler had no active Disciples of Christ congregation, although a few of the members continued to conduct a Bible school. In 1889, J. J. Lockhart, who was state evangelist for the Texas Christian Missionary Society, held a meeting in the Albertson Opera House, and a new church was organized. The congregation met in a tabernacle on West Erwin Street but was without a full-time minister until 1906, when the Rev. J. J. Lockhart returned to Tyler and became the pastor. From 1889, the membership grew, and two additional sanctuaries were built, a Sunday School was organized, a women's missionary auxiliary was formed, and youth activities were added. A large number of ministers and missionaries have come from this church. Throughout its history, the First Christian Church of Tyler has played an important role in the community and in the Disciples of Christ brotherhood. |
