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 First Baptist Church of Poteet
N 29° 02.452 W 098° 34.596
14R E 541222 N 3212588
The First Baptist Church of Poteet has the street address of 437 Avenue D, Poteet, TX 78065. The historical marker is on the corner of Avenue D and 4th Street.
Waymark Code: WM14ZM5
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2021
Views: 5
The First Baptist Church of Poteet has its roots in home Bible studies conducted by early settler around Gallinas, TX before 1852! From that beginning, a log building was built as a church and school in Shiloh. An agreement to merge two congregations to form a new Baptist church in Potete was accomplished in 1913, and what we know today as the First Baptist Church of Poteet was formed. By 1936 the need for larger accommodations lead to moving the church facilities to this present property at 4th Street and Avenue D. Since then, the facilities have been adapted to the needs of a growing congregation. A Spanish speaking mission program developed into a church planting effort from which the present Hosanna Baptist Church began. Both churches are still active in ministering to the needs of the Poteet community at large. Link to the First Baptist Church of Poteet's FaceBook Page: ( visit link) .
Marker Number: 17491
Marker Text:
Prior to 1856, settlers around Gallinas gathered on Sundays in each others’ homes to worship the Lord. As numbers grew, they met at Shiloh at a log building used for school and church on Borrego Creek. Seminary student William Dycks Johnson (1838-1885) is credited with starting Shiloh Baptist Church during a hiatus from Baylor University. The church organized in June 1856 with ten members at the organizational meeting. Samuel Ellis Pearce was pastor in 1859. By the early 1900s, Shiloh Baptist Church outgrew their building and looked for a larger facility to house Sunday school classes. A committee met with another historic congregation, Gates Valley Baptist Church, to discuss the option of merging churches. In Jan. 1913, the churches agreed, and the Gates Valley building was moved to Poteet. It was placed on a corner lot on Avenue E donated by the Town Site Company of Poteet. The sanctuary’s large space was divided into rooms by hanging quilts made by women of the church. James Wesley yow was called as the first pastor to lead First Baptist Church of Poteet in late 1913. The church grew in its early years, bolstered by a Baptist training union under direction of Mrs. T. F. Bledsoe and Sunday School under leadership of Brother O. N. Crouch. Seeing that a larger building was needed, members voted in 1936 to relocate, buying six lots at 4th Street and Avenue D. Some lumber from the former church was used in the new building. In 1943, the church bought a home belonging to Mrs. Katy L. Bevins for a parsonage. Expansions and renovations have updated the campus to meet the needs of the congregation. First Baptist Church of Poteet has fostered the spiritual development of its members and neighbors through community outreach and church planting such as the Spanish speaking mission program that started Hosanna Baptist Church. Marker property of the State of Texas (2010)
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