Turner Baptist Church
Wills Point, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Twenty members established Turner Baptist Church on November 15, 1909. The congregation first worshipped at Turner School, where several faiths alternated Sunday services. By 1917, this interdenominational institution was known as Turner Union Church. Attendance continued to grow and by the mid-1950s, the other denominations moved to their own meeting places; Turner’s Baptists remodeled their facility and built a new one under the direction of the Rev. A.T. Cox. In 1997, the congregation finished construction on a new sanctuary. Today, Turner Baptist Church continues to serve as a beacon of light to residents of Turner and other nearby communities.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Twenty members founded Turner Baptist Church on November 15, 1909, first worshipping at the Turner School, where several faiths took turns holding Sunday services. By 1917 the shared arrangement was known as Turner Union Church, until growing attendance led the other denominations to build their own homes in the mid-1950s and the Baptists to remodel and expand. The congregation completed a new sanctuary in 1997 and continues to serve the Turner community.
Why it matters
The church's early years as a shared, interdenominational meeting place illustrate the practical ecumenism of rural communities too small for every faith to build alone.
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Related people
- · Rev. A.T. Cox
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Hayden Baptist Church
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In October 1878, fourteen charter members led by Dr. George D. Staton gathered to organize a Baptist congregation, first named Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, agreeing to meet once a month as rural fellowships did. They built a church in 1889, worshipped for a time at the Cow Prairie schoolhouse, and in 1904 raised a new sanctuary and took the name Hayden Baptist Church. The pioneer congregation has served this stretch of Van Zandt County ever since.
Fairview Cemetery and School
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