The church celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sunday, January 19, 1997, and prior to that, the church commemorated a Founders Day on April 1, 1962. Most of our church's history was documented by Deacon Hons Richards, who painstakingly perused the minutes of the church to compile a history, which was printed in a booklet to commemorate the church founders. Upon the church's 100 year anniversary, the same booklet was reprinted with a few additions added at the end. We have copied these two booklets, and present them here for anyone who might be interested in the history of our church.

This book is dedicated to the noble efforts of
the church founders and early organizers.

Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Rogers
Mr. S. M. Simmons
Mr. and Mrs. C. O. Ostrom
Mr. See Cochrane

Any accomplishment or achievement is made more interesting by a knowledge of its birth, infancy and continued development

You must agree that this is especially true as we record the story of a people and their church.

This is a brief summary of a work you have helped to build. It is the Lord's church. You can determine its future and destiny.

We will remember our debt to the pioneers of our church, their sacrifice and determination. This is our day! The past is gone! If we are given tomorrow we will run the race well.

On Sunday afternoon, January 24, 1897, at a meeting held in the Methodist church, a Baptist church was organized. Sid Williams of San Antonio and Frank Marrs of Del Rio were present to assist in the organization. J.A. Brown of Chattanooga, Tennessee was also present, and acted as clerk during the organization. The six charter members were as follows: Mr. and Mrs. F.S. Rogers, whose membership was in Waco, Texas; S.M. Simmons, membership in Shepherdville, Kentucky; See Cochrane, membership in Waterford, Kentucky; and Mr. and Mrs. C.O. Ostrom, membership in Memphis, Texas.

The "Articles of Faith" and the "Church Covenant," as found in Pendleton's Manual were read by the Moderator, Frank Marrs, and they were adopted by the newly organized church.

See Cochrane was elected church clerk. After this the meeting closed with a prayer by Mr. Sid Williams: "May God's blessing be upon his church, organized in his name and for his glory and the advancement of his kingdom. Although but few in number; yet if the few prove faithful witnesses, we may expect great results from this beginning. May the God of love, the Maker and Creator of all things graciously guide and direct this church in all its work."

These first minutes were signed by Frank Marrs, Moderator, and J.A. Brown, Clerk of Organization.

The first addition to the church occured that same night when Dr. Ball, whose membership was in the First Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, was received as a member.

On January 27, 1897, Frank Marrs, Baptist State Missionary, presided at the organization of the Sunday School. The following officers were elected: S.M. Simmons, Superintendent; Dr. Ball, Assistant Superintendent; Miss Mamie Evans, Secretary; See Cochrane, Assistant Secretary; Mrs. C.O. Ostrom, Treasurer; F.S. Rogers, (illegible); Noys Smith, Organist.

On Wednesday night of March 16, 1897, the church decided that the church should observe the Lord's Supper on the first Sunday morning of every other month, beginning with the first Sunday in April. Frank Marrs of Del Rio was called as the first pastor. He was to give one-half his time to this church, holding services on the first and second Sundays in each month.

On April 7 a motion to have the electric lights turned on in the church carried unanimously, the cost to be at the rate of $2.00 per month. At this meeting Mrs. Nita Blesse became the first person to join the church by baptism.

October 1, 1899 S.C. Harl was called to be the minister.

On Sunday, January 14, 1900, the first mention is made of a deacon. He was W.B. Hawkins who joined the church on that date. Also on that same date the church voted to buy the Presbyterian church property from Mr. Bonnet for the sum of $343.85.

One week later, the names of the men who were the first trustees were recorded. They were Sam Sinley, R.A. Harvin and C.O. Ostrom.

On April of the same year, 1900, the church held its first "protracted" meeting, during which time two people joined the church by letter and two by baptism.

On Sunday, August 5, 1900, the church chose its official name, the Monroe Street Baptist Church of Eagle Pass.

Mr. Harl resigned as pastor February 24, 1901, effective at the end of the quarter, and in October of that year, W.D. Bowen was called as pastor. He accepted and held his first services on December 15.

In a business conference on January 2, 1902, the following business was conducted:

1. The Lord's Supper was to be observed the first Sunday in each quarter.
2. R.A. Harvin and C.O. Ostrom were elected deacons.
3. The following plan for the distribution of the collections was adopted:
   
   

   March and April	Home and Foreign Missions
   May and June	Old Ministers' Relief
   January and February	Ministerial Education
   July and August	Association Missions
   September and October	State Missions
   November and December	Buckner's Orphan Home

The ladies of the Baptist church of Carrizo Springs had evidently donated a bell to the church for it is noted that on January 26, 1902, the church clerk was authorized to thank them for their gift. In June of that same year, Mr. Hawkins was appointed a committee of one to solicit donations for the purchase of a bell to be given to the Baptist church in Carrizo Springs.

Here some more pages are unaccounted for and there is a skip in the minutes from August 1902, to October 1908, at which time T.H. Jenkins was the pastor.

Mrs. Dora Stevenson united with the church on the promise of a letter on January 19, 1909.

In July 1909, the services of the church were being held in Ladner Hall, under an agreement with the Eagle Pass School Board, in exchange for the school's using the Baptist church property for public school purposes. It is said that classes were held in the Baptist church while the Austin school was under construction.

Soon after this date, the church, for some reason, must have discontinued its services because the next minutes are entered in October 1910, at which time D.W. Matthews of Uvalde made a visit to Eagle Pass for the purpose of re-establishing the church. He secured enough of the old members to warrant holding services the third and fourth Sundays of each month. Mrs. Dora Stevenson was appointed church clerk pro tem at this meeting.

In April 1911, Mrs. Stevenson was elected church treasurer.

In August 1911, Mr. Matthews was called to be the full time pastor of the church. In January 1912, he resigned and W. Lee Lackey was called to be pastor. In May of that year it was decided not to hold services during the months of June, July, and August because of poor attendance, and to make a special effort to increase the membership and the attendance beginning in September. In December of that year, L.R. Byrd of Del Rio agreed to hold one meeting per month in Eagle Pass.

Then there is a skip until March, 1915, when A.B. Carlisle was the pastor. Mrs. Stevenson was serving as church treasurer and as the teacher of the Infants' Sunday School Class. J.S. Cheavans came to be the pastor in September, 1915.

During all of 1916 and most of 1917, there was no church clerk and there is no record of what happened. Mr. Cheavans resigned in November of 1918 and J.H. Benson was called to the pastorate.

In January, 1919, a meeting was called for the purpose of discussing plans for a new building and a building committee was appointed.

In January, 1921, Mr. Benson resigned in order that he might re-enter the missionary field in Mexico. B.A. Owen accepted the pastorate the following April.

In September, 1921, the church purchased the property adjoining the church property on the north from Mr. L.B. Leighton. It is presumed that this is the property where the parsonage now stands.

In July, 1922, Mr. Owen resigned and Bruce Roberts accepted the pastorate the following September.

On Sunday, December 10, 1922, Miss Myro Reeves, Mrs. C.P. Dodge and Mrs. Bruce Roberts began religious work among the Mexican children.

The following are some exerpts from a business conference held on January 16, 1924, which represent a philosophy and humor seldom found in the notes of a church clerk. The clerk at this time was R.P. Elstner.

"Brother Roberts seemed happier than usual and with well chosen words spoke feelingly of the good accomplished which insures the carrying out of outlined plans during the year. After complimenting the various committees, he incidentally treated the men to an oyster roast without the oysters. While he had not given up all hopes with reference to his men co-workers he thought with the continued excellent work of the sisters, aided by the children, the church work, spiritually and financially would move forward and upward; then perhaps mankind would awaken from their seemingly state of coma and manifest interest by attending services oftener, that they would take up some of the burdens of church labor which now rest almost entirely upon the sisters and our good pastor.

"Only three male members were present and they made a feeble effort in defense of mankind, especially church workers of our church. All members present except one or two joined in the general discussion of the short-coming of men folks in connection with church work. The writer pleads guilty and does not cast a dissenting vote. A minority report was not made; at least, it has not reached the clerk for record."

Bruce Roberts resigned in May of 1924, and S.M. York became the next minister.

In February, 1927, a lot on the south side of the building was bought. On April 6, 1927, the name of the church was changed to the First Baptist Church.

Mr. York resigned in December, 1927, and T.D. Dunaway suceeded him as pastor in March, 1928.

During the next six or seven years, which some of the older ones among you remember as the worst years of the depression, the church had continual financial difficulties. At one time, the pastor's salary was set at $30.00 per month. He was devoting only half time to the church at that time. At another time, he was to be paid whatever the church could afford to pay; no definite salary was named.

From 1935 to 1942, there are almost no records. Mr. Hall served the church as pastor from May, 1939 until December, 1940. The next regularly kept minutes begin in 1942, with C.B. Glaize as the minister. At some time during this period, Mrs. Stevenson ceased to be the treasurer after having served in that capacity since 1911.

Mr. Glaize resigned as pastor in July, 1943, and G.F. Benter took over the post the following month. During the years of the Second World War, 1942-1945, because of the Air Field installation in Eagle Pass, the church enjoyed a period of relative prosperity. This resulted in five rooms being built for housing Sunday School classes in 1945.

The Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of the church was celebrated on September 14, 1947. An all-day meeting was held. One hundred and eleven guests signed the register. Two charter members, Mr. and Mrs. Ostrom, attended. Mr. Goodman of the State Mission Board and F.R. Weedon, the assistant District Missionary, were the speakers for the occasion.

During the 1947-1948 church year, the church notified the State Board that it would prefer to operate without any financial help from the board.

Mr. Benter resigned in the fall of 1950 and in March of 1951 R.M. Hamner came to be the pastor.

In 1952, the county gave the educational building to the church, and in that same year, the church bought an organ and put carpeting in the aisles in the auditorium. The church also started the Mexican Mission in this same year.

In 1955 a new parsonage was built.

Mr. Hamner resigned as pastor in January, 1960 and Dr. Will Edd Langford became the next pastor in July, 1960. He resigned in December of that same year. The present pastor, Marshall Durham came in June of 1961.

Frank Marrs	March 1897 - April 1897
S.C. Harl	October 1897 - February 1901
W.D. Bowen	October 1901 - August 1902
T.H. Jenkins	October 1908 - October 1909
D.W. Matthews	October 1910 - January 1912
W. Lee Lackey	February 1912 - July 1912
I.R. Byrd	December 1912 - ?
A.B. Carlisle	March 1915 - August 1915
J.S. Cheavans	December 1915 - May 1918
B.A. Owen	June 1921 - July 1922
Bruce Roberts	August 1922 - August 1926
S.M. York	February 1926 - December 1927
T.D. Dunaway	February 1928 - January 1939
Mr. Hall	May 1939 - December 1940
C.B. Glaize	January 1941 - July 1943
G.F. Benter	August 1943 - ? 1950
R.M. Hamner	March 1951 - January 1960
Will Edd Langford	July 1960 - December 1960
Marshall Durham	June 1961 - present (April 1962)

Ralph Beard, Chairman	Hons Richards
Patrick Talley	W.L. Jones
Alvin Herring	Conway Pickard
Fred Harr, Inactive

Patrick Talley, Sunday School Superintendent

Roland Vernon, Training Union Director

Mrs. Chrystal Durham, W.M.U. President

Mrs. Juanita Southall, Treasurer

Mrs. Nita McKone, Church Clerk

Joe Martin, Music Director

Mrs. Annie Laurie Stephenson, Organist

God sets boundries. He establishes the boundaries of the seas and of the nations. "...for He founded it upon the seas..."

Just as God has fixed the boundaries of the seas and the nations, so has He set the boundaries of the opportunities for our church. These opportunities are extended beyond our present accomplishments. He has given us ample room. Our greatest challenge as a church is to take advantage of every one of these opportunities. Building a new church is one opportunity given to us by the Lord, and with His help we hope to reach this goal.

There are more immediate opportunities such as stewardship, church attendance, Bible study, prayer, and soul-winning. These are wonderful opportunities given to us from the hand of the Lord and none of us should fail in any of these.

The 100th Anniversary service was held on Sunday, January 19, 1997 and the following information was compiled and added to the history of the church.

Marshall Durham	June 1961 - December 1964
Walter Wooley	May 1965 - October 1967
Jack Calk	May 1968 - August 1975
John Heskett	September 1975 - October 1976
Rick Patchin	August 1977 - August 1982
Howard Martin	December 1982 - September 1984
James McDowell	October 1984 - April 1986
Steve Welch	September 1986 - September 1987
Dan Reagan	January 1988 - January 1989
Ken Houston	December 1991 - October 1995
Darrell Koop	January 1997 - Present (April 1997)

The new building of First Baptist Church, Eagle Pass, was constructed April 1963 on the same site as the old church. The dedication service was held October 20, 1963, Marshall Durham was pastor.

In 1967, a new Sunday School department was added to the church. The church was without a pastor during that construction.

On January 23, 1972, the First Baptist Church celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the church. Jack Chalk was pastor, Mrs. M.F. Stephenson was organist, Mrs. D.T. Southall was church treasurer, and the active deacons were Alvin Herring, George Marugg, Lewis Moore, Conway Pickard, and Fred Harr.

In 1988, Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Winn and family gave a memorial for Sissy Winn Seale. The memorial was a stained glass window depicting Jesus and the little children. The memorial was placed in front of the baptistry above the alter.

In March, 1989, stained glass windows depicting the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were completed and given to the church by some of the members.

The Lord's Supper set is on exhibit in the foyer. The two highback chairs are on display in the church foyer. The old bell has been lost to us. We have never found this last treasure.

The oldest active members at the 100th anniversary were Virginia Herring, membership 1943; Julius Frick, membership 1945, and Billie Horner, membership 1949.

In January 2000, Darrell Koop resigned as pastor. The church remained without a pastor until June of 2001 when they called Ferel Gage. Pastor Gage stayed until he resigned in August of 2004.

In December of 2005, Missionary Daniel White, contacted the church and let them know that he was available to fill in as interim. The church agreed and asked him to start the second Sunday of January 2006. During this particular holiday season, Christmas Day and New Years Day were both on a Sunday. Because of low attendance and key members traveling for the holidays, the church canceled services for several weeks.

In March of 2006, the church asked Daniel White if he would consider staying as pastor. After several weeks of prayer and consideration, he agreed and the church accepted him as pastor on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006.