Passing through Orange on a quiet Monday morning, we couldn't help slowing down for this one. The…read moreFirst Baptist Church sits there like a bright white anchor on Green Avenue, the kind of building that makes you pull over even when you're just passing through. The doors were locked, as you'd expect early in the week, but the grounds were tidy and the historical marker out front does a lot of the talking for you, filling in the story of how this congregation grew alongside the city itself. It reads, "In 1879 the Rev. Andrew Peddy helped organize this congregation with 18 charter members. They met in the frame Orange County courthouse and were served for a time by missionary preachers. Sarah A. Finch and Anna and L. L. Bettis deeded a lot in this block to the congregation in 1883. The following year a 40' X 60' meetinghouse was erected. "In 1898, during the ministry of the Rev. J. T. Stanton, the congregation adopted the name "Green Avenue Baptist Church". This membership merged in 1909 with the Eighth Street Baptist Church to become "The First Baptist Church of Orange". "Under the leadership of the Rev. J. Stuart Pearce, more land was acquired in 1913 and this brick sanctuary was in use by 1915. J. G. McMullen gave additional property for a new education building in 1939. As the congregation grew under the pastorate of Dr. Cooper Waters, additional land was purchased, and a second education building was constructed in 1952. The Viola McCorquodale building and fellowship hall were erected in 1958. "This fellowship has helped establish the following Baptist churches: Cove, Little Cypress, Brownwood, Riverside, and Maplecrest This is marker number 11479, placed in 1979 by the Texas Historical Commission, and it does exactly what a good marker should do: it turns a locked building on a Monday morning into a small moment of connection with the past. Even without stepping inside, you can feel the layers of history here, the way this corner has anchored more than a century of community life. [Review 338 of 2026 - 666 in Texas - 25525 overall]

New location as of 2013 is a great facility but the people that meet there are what makes it truly…read moreamazing! I am so thankful to be a part of this wonderful body of believers! Sunday services are at 9:30 &11am. Wednesday nights offer amazing youth and Children's activities starting at 6pm. The First Cup Cafe is open most Mon-Thurs. from 9am-2pm. fbco.org