Emmanuel Church of God in Christ
Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the heart of Arlington's historic African American community, "The Hill," local residents came together as early as 1895 to form a community church at this site. Known at different times as the Church of God in Christ, Emmanuel Church of God in Christ, Holiness, and Arlington Church of God in Christ, the congregation grew in The Hill's commercial district alongside neighborhood grocery stores, restaurants and night clubs, as well as schools, residences and other churches. Elders Garrett and E.W. Battle served as early church leaders of the congregation, which held regular camp meetings for area worshipers. The Holiness philosophy of the church includes an emphasis on Bible-based education, as well as the roles of two spiritual leaders: the pastor and the church mother, who serves as guide and teacher of children and new members. Although oral tradition locates the congregation at this site at the turn of the 20th century, it did not formally own the property until 1937, when trustees purchased the land. Within two years, Jesse Pointer and other members constructed this sanctuary, which remains in use. At the time of the building's construction, the Rev. David Augusta Kelly served as pastor. Since its beginnings, Arlington's Church of God in Christ has served local residents as a place of worship and community. It has been an important part of the physical and spiritual landscape of the historic neighborhood for generations, and it continues to uphold the traditions established by its founding members more than a century ago. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In Arlington's historic African American neighborhood known as "The Hill," residents gathered as early as 1895 to form a Church of God in Christ congregation. Rooted in the Holiness tradition, the church emphasized Bible-based education and the twin leadership of pastor and church mother, and it grew alongside the grocers, restaurants, and homes of a thriving Black commercial district. Though the congregation did not formally own the land until 1937, members built the sanctuary that still stands within two years and have worshipped there ever since.
Why it matters
The church anchors the memory of a self-sustaining African American community, showing how Black congregations built enduring spiritual and social institutions in the segregation era.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Arlington grew up in the late nineteenth century as a small railroad and farming town between Dallas and Fort Worth. Like many Texas towns of the time, it was shaped by segregation. African American residents built their own neighborhood, which came to be known as "The Hill," and created their own institutions to meet needs the wider town would not.
The 1890s were a hard decade for Black Texans. The hopes of Reconstruction had faded, segregation laws were spreading, and political rights were being stripped away across the South. In the face of that, Black communities built churches, schools, businesses, and mutual aid networks that sustained them.
The same years also saw a religious awakening. The Holiness movement, which stressed personal sanctification and devout living, spread through Black and white churches alike in the 1890s. From it came several new denominations, including the Church of God in Christ, which would become one of the largest predominantly African American denominations in the country.
People & events
According to the marker, residents of The Hill came together as early as 1895 to form a congregation at this site. Over the years it carried several names, including Church of God in Christ; Emmanuel Church of God in Christ, Holiness; and Arlington Church of God in Christ. The changing names reflect the path many congregations took during this period, as local Holiness believers came to identify with a growing national church.
Elders Garrett and E.W. Battle were among the congregation's early leaders, and the church held regular camp meetings that drew worshipers from the surrounding area. Camp meetings were a vital part of Holiness religious life: days of preaching, singing, and prayer that brought scattered believers together. The church's tradition also gave important roles to two leaders, the pastor and the church mother, who guided children and new members in faith and Bible-based learning.
Oral tradition places the congregation on this spot around the turn of the twentieth century, but the trustees did not formally buy the land until 1937. Within two years, Jesse Pointer and other members built the sanctuary that still stands, during the pastorate of the Rev. David Augusta Kelly. Building it with their own hands at the end of the Great Depression was a real act of faith and commitment.
Its place in the American story
Emmanuel Church of God in Christ is part of one of the most important stories in American religious history: the rise of Black Holiness and Pentecostal churches. Born out of the 1890s Holiness movement and growing rapidly in the twentieth century, the Church of God in Christ became a major denomination with congregations across the nation and abroad, and its musical and worship traditions have deeply influenced American gospel music.
The church also stands for something that happened in Black neighborhoods all across the segregated South. Shut out of many public institutions, African American communities built their own. Churches like this one were places of worship but also schools, meeting halls, social centers, and anchors of community life. The Hill's mix of grocery stores, restaurants, night clubs, schools, homes, and churches shows a neighborhood that sustained itself.
Today, many historically Black neighborhoods have been reshaped or erased by highways, development, and urban renewal. A sanctuary that has remained in use since its construction is a living link to a community that built something lasting under difficult circumstances.
If you visit
This is an active church, not a museum, so visit with respect. Viewing the building from outside is the best approach unless you are attending a service, where visitors are typically welcome. Notice the modest scale of the sanctuary and consider that members built it themselves at the end of the Depression.
As you stand here, try to picture The Hill as it once was: a lively neighborhood district with grocers, restaurants, night clubs, schools, homes, and churches. Much of Arlington has changed dramatically since then, which makes surviving landmarks like this one all the more valuable.
Arlington is right in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so this marker is easy to add to a visit to the region. Pair it with other markers on African American history across the Metroplex to see how Black communities built churches, schools, and neighborhoods that shaped North Texas.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Elder Garrett Battle
- · Elder E.W. Battle
- · Jesse Pointer
- · Rev. David Augusta Kelly
Themes & tags
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