BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH
COLLIN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
A HISTORY OF COLLIN BAPTIST ASSOCIATION: CENTENNIAL EDITION
1886 -1986
BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH
The Bethlehem Baptist Church is both one of the
oldest and one of the newest churches in Collin Baptist Association. In 1843
services began in the log cabin home of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Woody. The church was
formally constituted as the Bethlehem Baptist Church in 1854. It was served by a
circuit riding preacher who preached for the congregation one Sunday each month.
The church was a member of the Trinity River Baptist Association.
Sometime after Bethlehem was constituted a one
room frame building was built on the five acre site of the original log cabin.
This frame building is still being used for the worship service.
Due to a decline in population in the community,
the Bethlehem Church discontinued services in 1958, although it did not formally
disband. In December of 1984 a reorganization service was held. Gilbert N.
Callaway, Director of Missions for Collin Baptist Association, moderated the
service. Laymen C. A. Cass, Jerry McDonald, and Rollins Kerby initiated the move
to reorganize the church. All members still living who had kept their membership
on the roll of the church during the sixteen years of inactivity, plus five
persons who joined in the reorganization service, constituted the membership of
the reorganized church.
In 1985 Bethlehem called Dale Berry as pastor. He
lives on the church grounds in a mobile home. The church shares the grounds with
the Bethlehem Cemetery which was begun in 1845 when Mrs. Hugh Woody was buried
on the site.
Since Bethlehem Church has been reorganized it
has built an educational building adjacent to the original frame building. Both
buildings are used for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. The 1985 resident
membership of this rural church, located about seven and one-half miles
northeast of Farmersville, was twenty-three.
Churches Index
- Recommended citation:
- "Bethlehem Baptist Church,
Collin County Churches," Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage
by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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