A multigenerational cornerstone of the community, Greens Creek Baptist will be celebrating its 150th birthday April 16.
Everyone is invited to a special reception from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, April 19 in the fellowship hall at the church.
Located at 1263 CR 380, the church started during much simpler times when those settling in Erath County still remembered brutal Indian raids, made clothes and tools by hand and enjoyed the simple things in life.
The church began when a little group of devoutly religious and loyal folks to the Baptist faith gathered on the front porch of a log home of Mrs. Narcissus V. Howell.
The purpose of the meeting, held April 16, 1876, was to organize a church body of Baptists in doctrine with 13 charter members in attendance.
The church’s first pastor was Rev. J.R. Northcutt.
The church leadership at this organization consisted of Elders J.R. Northcutt, B.C. Harris and J.F. Powell.
Charter members included Howell, Dicie P. Neal, Virginia E. Ware, Rev. J.F. Powell and wife, I.A. Whitfield and wife, Miriam T. (Howell) Whitfield, J. Love Howell and wife Matilda T. Howell, W.C. (Clardy) Howell and wife Safrona Howell, N.E. Anna Howell, and an additional member whose name was never recorded.
For several years after the Greens Creek church was organized in 1876, the congregational Baptists met in the homes of various members for services. In the summer, a brush arbor was built under which meetings were held.
In 1880, land was purchased for a school and church site.
According to a deed dated July 24, 1880 and filed and recorded at the county courthouse of April 28,1881, John W. Moore conveyed for $50 two acres of land to deacons I.A. Whitfield and J.W. Pittman, Sr.
The north half of the land was to be used for the people of that neighborhood and community for school and educational purposes, free from specific denominational control.
On the above land, school house of logs was build in 1880, and both the Baptist group and the Methodist group held services in the school house until each denomination built a worship house of its own. What is now known as Upper Greens Creek Cemetery was started on the western part of the property.
In July 1882, Greens Creek Baptist formed a committee to research building a worship house, and land was procured in 1883 near the school house and Greens Creek stream. This is the ground where the present church, educational building and tabernacle are located.
The building was a 30 by 40-foot structure with a large auditorium that would seat 300 people.
Expansion of the church occurred in August 1931 when the Alarm Creek Baptist Church located northeast of Greens Creek Baptist disbanded and gave the church its building, pews and other contents.
The Alarm Creek Baptist Church was torn down and moved to Greens Creek. The lumber was used to build an annex of five Sunday School rooms to the church auditorium, which was just one large structure at the time.
Lighting of the church continued to be a problem during this time period, and gas lamps were commonly used, but also commonly stolen.
This came to an end in 1938 when the REA line was built through the community and an electric meter was put in during 1939, lighting the church.
The church’s parsonage was built in 1951 after Luther Vaughn and his wife, Ovella, deeded land to the church.
$2,000 was borrowed from a bank in order to build the parsonage, and the total cost of the parsonage came to $3,433.64.
The parsonage was first occupied by Rev. A Long aqnd his family in late fall of 1951.
Veterans have also been an important part of the church with older members who pioneered the church were Confederate Veterans of the Civil War, but their names are not available. I. Alec Whitfield is one known charter member that was a Confederate Veteran.
Elmer Whitfield, a descendant of I.A. Whitfield, lost his life in World War I.
During World War II there were 46 boys out of the membership that went into military service.
Both Noel Shoup and Johnny Wathall lost their lives in World War II.
The multigenerational nature of Greens Creek Baptist is still alive and well today with many family names having attended the church for 150 years.
“This church is very precious to me for so many reasons. It’s the only church I’ve ever known. This is where I found the Lord and I began to walk by faith and obedience to Him,” longtime church member Helen Howell, 97, said in the church’s history book. “This church has special meaning to me because it was organized in the home of Mrs. Narcissie Virginia Howell, my husband, Curtis Howell’s great, great, grandmother. I am so thankful for our ancestors and their faith in the Lord that has stood the test: and for keeping the spiritual flame aglow in our church. I thank the Lord for everything we have accomplished in our church over the years, the privilege of sharing Christ, the souls that have been saved, the spiritual growth of our church and the precious memories and experiences that has knit us together as a church.”
The church participates in a variety of ministries including foreign ministries such as Lottie Moon, Mary Hill David and Annie Armstrong, SBC Mission Cooperative Program, Heart of Texas Baptist Camp for youth, Tarleton State Baptist Student Ministries, WMU Mission House & Women’s Build, Restoration Advocates, Grace Place, Cross Timbers Care Center (Choices), Samaritan’s Purse, Gideons Internation, Wednesday Night Van Ministry, Vacation Bible School, Jail and Prison Ministry and many local outreach programs.
Service time for the church include Sunday School at 9:45 a.m., Sunday morning service at 10:50 a.m., Sunday evening service at 6 p.m., Wednesday Evening adult Bible Study/Prayer meeting 7 p.m., Wednesday Evening Children’s/Youth Meal 6:15 p.m., Wednesday evening Children’s/Youth Bible Study & Activities 7 p.m.