First Christian Church of McGregor (Disciples of Christ)
McGregor, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Four families formed a Christian church in nearby Comanche Springs in the 1870s, with the Rev. W. L. Harrison as first pastor. In 1883 members moved to the new railroad town of McGregor and built a church on Main Street in 1884. There were 80 members in 1897 when the Christian church split over basic principles; one group retained the property and became the First Christian Church of McGregor in 1899. A new structure was erected on the Main Street site in 1907. The church employed its first female pastor in 1990. The church remains active in missionary work, community service, and worship, rooted in the traditions of the founders. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Four families gathered in the 1870s at Comanche Springs to form a Christian congregation, then followed opportunity to the new railroad town of McGregor in 1883, building a church on Main Street the next year. When the wider Christian movement split over doctrine near the turn of the century, one group kept the property and became the First Christian Church of McGregor. A larger sanctuary rose on the same site in 1907, and the congregation remains active more than a century later.
Why it matters
Congregations that moved with the railroads show how faith communities helped seed and sustain the new towns that the rails scattered across Texas.
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Related people
- · W. L. Harrison
Themes & tags
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