FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, Tyler, Smith County, TX - 19 Oct 1911 ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Mary Love Berryman - marylove@tyler.net 15 April 2001 ***************************************************************** Daily Courier-Times, Tyler, TX, 19 Oct 1911 GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW CHURCH Several hundred persons attended the "ground breaking" services held at 3:30 yesterday afternoon, at which the first dirt was broken for the erection of the meeting house of the First Baptist church. A platform had been improvised at the south end of the lot and the audience assembled on all sides. Many chairs were brought for the old people and it is likely that there were more old people in the audience than had assembled in a Tyler audience in a long time. The exercises were opened with a song, "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name," led by the pastor, Rev. G. L. Yates, and heartily joined in by all present. Following the song the pastor read selections from first and third chapters of Ezra, after which R. H. Brown, the oldest living deacon of the church and chairman of the present board of deacons, gave a short historical review of the work of the church since he had been a member, covering a period of years from 1871 to the present date. He mentioned the organization of the First Baptist church in 1848. There were two elders constituting the presbytery, they being W. H. Ray and W. B. Langston. The original members were: Stephen W. Reaves, Mrs. Georgia A. Reaves, W. S. Walker, Amy W. Walker, Hampson E. Hudnall and J. G. Adrain. Elder W. H. Ray was the first pastor, W. S. Walker was the first deacon and Stephen Reaves the first church clerk. All members of the church as originally organized are dead. The Cherokee Baptist association was organized in 1852. The church membership at that time was sixty-eight and there was preaching once a month. The hour of service was announced by the blowing of a horn. Worship was held in a small log house near the square. Mr. Brown gave a brief history of the church from those early days up to the present time, closing his remarks with the following peroration. "We stand here this afternoon on the threshold of a great enterprise, the building of a new church home. As I look into the faces of these men and women around me, I see representatives of the three periods of which we shall speak - the past, the present, the future. When we come face to face with the great responsibilities of such an undertaking, and feel the need of renewed courage and vigor, there is nothing more cheering than a retrospect of God's dealing with us as a church. I am looking backward today over two generations 63 years ago on April 8th, 1848, there was a little band of devout, humanity-loving, God-fearing souls, six in number, four men and two women, assembled together with a great purpose in their hearts--the organization of the Tyler Baptist church. The names of these saints should ever be honored and revered by this church. "I want to call them again to you: Stephen Reaves, Mrs. Georgia Reaves, W. S. Walker, Mrs. Amy Walker, Hampton E. Hudnall, J. G. Adrian. The influences fostered on that momentous occasion have come down through the years like the life giving stream of Ezekiel's vision, giving life, hope, joy, peace and happiness to hundreds, and will go on widening, deepening and gathering momentum with the passing years until its water shall lash the shores of eternity. "The history of this church has not been all fair weather and sunshine. It is just another story of erring mortals with all of their weighty imperfections struggling to know God better. There have been many clouds on our horizon, some very dark and lowering. There have been struggles, heart aches, tears and a mighty crying to God. Today brethren and sister, let us thank God for them all, let us see in them his providences drawing us to each other and uniting us as we have never been before, in the bonds of brotherly love and fellowship. Only such trials as those through which we have passed could bring us to lean on the everlasting arm as we do today. Only such heart aches and tears could make possible the digging of this foundation for the building that we shall errect as a monument to our love for God and humanity. Bretheren, let us be so closely drawn together by the exigency of the hour that we may move as one man, with a single purpose to the task before us." Judge T. B. Butler was the next speaker on the program, the subject assigned him being, "The Present," but he was called out of the city and this number was not spoken to. Carl Wood made a short talk, his subject being, "The Future." Mr. Wood said: "The congregation of the First Baptist church now stands with their faces toward the future. God has never called on His people to do something that he did not provide a leader. We have that in our present pastor, Bro. Yates. He is depending on each one of us individually and collectively to do our duty in building this new house of worship. The Lord will bless our efforts. Each one of us has a work to do, and we should do it willingly and cheerfully. The Lord has bought us with a price; we belong to Him. He expects us to enter into His services and promote His interests. It ought to be our prayer that each one of us this day rededicate ourselves and all that we have to His service. We Baptists of the First church in Tyler are particularly fortunate in being located as the center of a great country of Baptists that is looking to us for leadership and guidance. We need to lead out. As to the completion of our building, there is no question about it - it will be built. Some of us will have to make sacrifices, but every great work has sacrifice. We can today begin the writing of a new chapter, the reading of which will show that we have far surpassed any previous efforts. Let no one hang back; let all be workers for the promotion of our Master's cause, and for the culmination of our crowning event." At the conclusion of Mr. Wood's address, the ground breaking service was held. To Mrs. M. L. Herndon belongs the honor of turning over the first spadefull of earth for the new $40,000 meeting house, she being the oldest member in point of service on the church rolls. When Mrs. Herndon had thrown the first dirt, Pastor Yates asked all who had been members since 1885 to participate further in the dirt breaking service, and the following responded: John A. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. S. Lasseter, Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Human, H. L. Burks, Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Long, Mrs. and Mrs. John H. Bonner, Miss Mary Joe Evans, Mrs. J. P. Douglas, Mrs. J. J. Hamilton, Mrs. Annie LeGrande, Mrs. Tom Thornton, Mrs. Ella Chilton, C. G. Askew, Dr. W. J. Goodman, Mrs. L. C. Blair, Dr. and Mrs. McKay, Mrs. Kate P. Beaird, R. H. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Smith, Mrs. H. V. Hamilton, Mrs. Sallie Broughton, W. H. Cousins, Miss Bettie Scott, Mrs. Bettie McDougal, Mrs. S. H. Cox, Mrs. Geo. Kennedy, Miss Annie Smith, Mrs. Pauline Cooley, Mrs. Minnie Hale, Jimmie Whitten. An old church manual printed in 1888 showed the membership of the church to be 314 at that time. Of that number 71 are still living. As is indicated below, about half that number were present yesterday afternoon. Little Miss Estelle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Eddington, aged about 10 years, being one of the youngest members of the church, turned over the last spadeful. After the older members had concluded, quite a number of other members and citizens who were not members contributed to the dirt breaking, making a very beautiful and impressive service. "Blest be the Tie That Binds" was sung, after which the benediction was offered by Rev. J. H. Holland who has recently moved to our city from Mt. Pleasant. Several pictures of the assembly were taken by A. J. Gilliam, which with a copy of this paper, will be placed in the corner stone of the new building. The new spade which was used in the dirt breaking service was taken charge of by Pastor Yates, who will keep it as a souvenir with historical memories. Copied from copy in the Smith County Historical Society Archives, Carnegie History Center, Tyler, TX.