Central Baptist Church
Groves, Jefferson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On October 14, 1912, fifteen members of Port Arthur's First Baptist Church, including Rev. J. Warren Bates, left and organized Central Baptist Church. Rev. Bates directed the organizational meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Singleton. On December 11, 1912, the congregation purchased land on Procter Street and constructed a wood frame church. in March 1915, that church building was moved to a new home at 6th Street and St. Augustine Avenue, and services were held there until 1924. From 1924 until 1976, the church was located at 9th Street and DeQueen Bouelvard, meeting first in a frame building and then in a brick sanctuary. In 1973, Central Baptist Church purchased acreage on Highway 73 and 46th Street and completed a new worship complex there in 1976. In 1925, Central Baptist Church was the first church in the Southeast Texas Baptist Association to have a Vacation Bible School. Radio broadcasts of evening services began in 1962 under Rev. Carl Duck and in 1971 under Rev. Dale Kirkhuff the morning service was televised. A child day care center began in 1977 and the Accelerated Christian Edcuation school begain in late 1980, but these two programs were later discontinued. The educational and administrative buildings were completed in May 1983. The church conducts evening services for the residents of Cypress Glen East Nursing Home. The church joined other local churches in sponsoring the English as a Second Language program. During Hurricanes Rita and Ike, the church opened its facilities to national and international volunteers who came to help with recovery efforts. For more than a century, Central Baptist Church has reached out through activities, charity and prayer. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Central Baptist Church was organized in 1912 when fifteen members left Port Arthur's First Baptist Church, meeting first in the Singleton home and soon building a wood-frame church. Over the following century it moved and grew through the Gulf Coast boom region, pioneering the area's first Vacation Bible School in 1925, broadcasting services on radio and television, and opening its doors to volunteers after Hurricanes Rita and Ike.
Why it matters
Its long reach through schooling, broadcasting, and disaster relief shows how a Gulf Coast congregation became a hub of community life.
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Related people
- · J. Warren Bates
Themes & tags
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