CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HULL, TEXAS; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 121
(Extensions of Remarks - July 18, 2019)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF HULL,
TEXAS
______
HON. BRIAN BABIN
of texas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th
Anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Hull located in east Liberty
County, Texas.
On July 19, 2019, a group of dedicated Christians met in a home for
the purpose of organizing the First Baptist Church of Hull, Texas. On
July 24 of the same year, Mr. S.E. Beavers donated two lots of land for
a church site. Mr. Beavers was later elected as a Trustee of the church
and his widow was the last surviving of the fourteen charter members.
The original church building was built from lumber salvaged from the
neighboring abandoned sawmill community of Budconner.
On January 4, 1956, the church voted to construct the present
auditorium, which was completed in 1957 and dedicated on August 31,
1958. The original frame of the church building was used for several
Sunday school classrooms until the current education building was
completed on December 13, 1969. In January of 2012, First Baptist voted
to build a Family Life Center.
Over the years, the church's resiliency has been tested through
several natural disasters: the flood of 1994, Hurricane Ike in 2008,
and Hurricane Harvey in 2017 each caused considerable damage to First
Baptist's property. Hurricane Harvey inundated it with several feet of
water, wiped out nearby Hull-Daisetta Elementary School, and caused
considerable damage to much of the surrounding community.
During the aftermath of Harvey, the damaged Family Life Center at
First Baptist served as a distribution center for supplies and provided
meals for first responders, disaster relief crews, and local residents.
Each time the church was damaged, church members, aided by groups like
the Texas Baptist Men's (TBM) Builders, have rebuilt. To date, the
parsonage has been restored and work on the sanctuary and education
building is ongoing.
In addition to being on the receiving end of mission efforts
following natural disasters, individuals and groups from First Baptist
Church, Hull have been missionaries at home and abroad. The church has
made several trips to bring the Gospel to the people of Mexico,
Guatemala, and Honduras. They have also aided in many construction
mission projects, conducted numerous Vacation Bible Schools for
children and young adults residing in the surrounding community, and
have been active at the East Texas Baptist Encampment in Newton, Texas.
Throughout the past century, the First Baptist Church of Hull has had
twenty-seven pastors. Although most have been ``full-time,'' some have
been bi-vocational. On October 19, 1919, Rev. R.L. Nash was called to
be the first pastor on a part-time basis. The first full-time Pastor,
Rev. R.W. Lindsay, began serving First Baptist on September 26, 1920.
The first deacons were elected on May 29, 1921. The church is actively
seeking a pastor at this time.
On July 20, 2019, my brothers and sisters in Christ at the First
Baptist Church of Hull will celebrate 100 years of delivering God's
word to the people of Hull, Daisetta, and the surrounding communities.
The Lord has used this historic church as an amazing witness for a
century, and I am privileged to have such a place of worship in my
district.
____________________