First Baptist Church
Flat, Texas

“Unofficial” Church History

August 31, 2006

This document is compiled and edited from documents prepared for 75th Anniversary in 1992, some anecdotes and personal memories, as well as the official church membership records (that are due some cleanup work)…

Actual Historical Facts and a little local legend

The church was organized on July 7^th, 1917 when Reverend J. J. Ponder, Missionary of the Leon River Association and Reverend H. D. Heath, State Evangelist, met with a small group of area residents. Reverend Ponder preached for the young church until September, 1917 when Reverend J. H. Page was called as pastor. The church shared a building with the local Methodists and services were held once a month. Sunday School was first organized on July 29, 1923.

Legend in the community holds that the Baptists attached a small sign to a tree in the yard of the shared church thereby “stealing” the church house from the Methodists, who went to work building their own. The Baptists usually chuckle when this story is retold.

In the 1940s, land was purchased for a new building site. After purchasing the property the church house was moved to the site where it presently sits and was used for worship during the construction of a new stately church building. The new building featured a large red brick entry way, oak hardwood floors, and white plastered walls characteristic of the building practices of the day. The bigger building served until its obsolescence when, in 1983, it was razed to make room for the present church building.

The original old church house eventually outlived the red brick and plaster church building and remains on the property today where it served first as worship center, later a parsonage, and presently as an educational building for older children and youth.

A children’s annex was added in 1985 and a new parsonage was then built in 1987-88. The 1980s witnessed significant growth in the church body as with each building the congregation grew in number. When the brick/plaster building was demolished Sunday School had and average attendance in the mid-twenties with an occasional encouraging 30 on “High Attendance Sundays” appropriately dubbed “Great Day in the Morning” by Weezie Wall, a long-time School Teacher, Sunday School Teacher, VBS Teacher and prayer warrior in the church. The Sunday after the demolition SS attendance was in the 40s (bolstered by retiree builders with the Texas Baptist Men). Attendance never returned to the low of the previous years.

Some of my Memories of growing up in our church

In the early seventies, Rev. Wright Price was the pastor. I remember picking berries off of the shrubbery in front of the church and throwing them at his son David. The berries had sharp points sticking out of them, perfect for getting an “ouch” from the oft-assailed. We frequently played on the brick sign that was placed as a memorial to Billy Wall by Travis and Weezie. I thought the devil lived in the attic of the church and looked out of the round window at the top of the archway every time I walked under it – that special revelation had profound implications on my early Christian beliefs (and subsequently was probably the first of several mistaken “special revelations” that I've had in life). I can remember one VBS when Kathy Bird answered a question that had stumped our class. The question was, “Who are the men in the church that help the pastor?” Kathy held her hand up and shouted, “the demons!” We all laughed when we realized what she had said. I think the deacons at that time were probably Roy Bruton, A. J. Smith, O. B. Cunningham, George Clawson and Ray Clawson (I am sure that I may be forgetting someone).

The old church building had a door on the northwest side that would blow open during a rain storm and would allow rain to soak the (then) new piano (1967).  On a cold day, the water in the toilet in the restroom, which was on the north end of the building, would freeze. At the time I thought that provided a pretty cool opportunity. I was probably six.

Mrs. Jim Bird (they worked for Marshall and Jeanne) and Elizabeth Smith were my first SUNDAY SCHOOL Teachers that I remember. Mrs. Smith had to explain to me that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was not a song that we would normally sing in Sunday School, but since I wanted to sing it that morning I remember that we sang it anyway.

I don’t remember people during Bro. Price’s ministry. I was busy learning about the frozen water, throwing berries, and learning to ride the bike that Mrs. Price insisted that David (I don’t think it was his idea) loan me (complete with training wheels). Rev. Barty Cox came after Bro. Price. Some of the families (that I do recall) that attended weekly after Bro. Cox’s pastorate include O. B. and Grace Cunningham (and occasionally their pretty granddaughters), Elizabeth and A.J. Smith, Travis and Eloise (Weezie) Wall, Arlington and Gladys Barr, Marshall and Jeanne King, Mamie and Roy Bruton, Rev. Stan and Debbie Ortner, Ray and Joy Clawson, my brother, Jamie, and me. Dr. J.A. Reynolds was our interim pastor for awhile between Bro. Stan and Bro. David Johnson. I think I have forgotten some. However when I asked Dad, he replied, “I don’t know, but I remember one Sunday when the weather wasn’t just perfect we had 14.”

I do remember that Bro. Stan had a CB radio in the parsonage that he would witness to the truckers with. Since the parsonage was right on the highway this was a pretty handy outreach. He also had a BulTaco Moto Cross motorcycle that he built trails and ramps for behind the church. Bro. Stan was cool. One Sunday he was preaching and said, “I know one thing, if they ever bomb Fort Hood I’m getting in my van and getting outta here!” He didn’t mention anything about Debbie or Deanna or Daniel. He loved his van. He had a green Vega before the van. It had a horn that sounded like a cow.

We would sneak off from business meetings and go down to Vida Tippit’s store, where she would sell us hamburgers that you could watch her cook.

I remember later that the youth group consisting of Mike Wilie, Sandra Bartek, Janet Farr, and me. There were others from time to time – but we were there every Sunday. Mrs. Cunningham’s granddaughters, Erin and Kara McCloud, would visit sometimes.  I thought that was real cool! Mike always had an exciting story to tell, Sandra never said anything for years, and Janet sang real pretty. Mike and Sandra got married and he started preaching at King. Janet married some guy named Rob Dyer that I did not know. I eventually got to know Rob as a real nice guy and I approved.

Rev. David and Diana Johnson had come to minister at his first church. She was our youth director and taught us a lot of stuff. She could hit a softball further than most of the men in the church, except for Jerry Petrie and David Treadway, who had both joined during the time that the new building was built.

Back to the Facts…

During the building of the present worship center the church met in the old Methodist church building (the Methodist had long-since moved to Gatesville’s FUMC) over on the road to Leon Junction. There was a full house every Sunday in the small sanctuary with great anticipation of good things to come. Rev. David Johnson was pastor during the early 80s when the new building was planned and built. David Treadway, Church Music Director, then owned the Methodist building and donated the use of it during the construction of the new building. Services in that old Methodist building shook the foundation as new songs learned from the builders blended with old congregational favorites that David Treadway led with fervor.

When services began in the present building the congregation soon grew to fill the added space. David Treadway became a local icon, along with his wife Cindy and their “Gloryland Singers” and served the Lord faithfully until his tragic death in a car accident near Luckenbach in May of 1998. His death had a profound effect on the church that would grieve quietly, but together, for years to come. The music ministry moved away from a single leader to praise team leadership. The church had to move on, but could not replace, Bro. David who had served the church with only a short absence for 18+ years. Bro. David’s legacy has been a church that worships from the heart; not always pretty, but always fervent.

As a point of interest, The Gloryland Singers (as I remember) included David and Cindy Treadway, Jerry and Cecilia Petrie, David and June Nauert, and Johnny and Mary Whaley.
 

In a statement prepared for the 75^th anniversary celebration in 1992 these following statistics were noted:
Total membership – 362, Resident membership – 230

FBC Flat serves a large area bordered by Fort Hood on the south, Belton Lake on the east, Highway 107 on the north, and Gatesville on the west. This includes community areas of Flat, Leon Junction, Mound, Bland Mountain, The Grove, Owl Creek, Owl Creek Park, Fort Gates, and Flint Creek. Other churches in the area include: St. Paul Lutheran in The Grove, Cold Springs Baptist (Independent) 1 mile east of Flat, White Mound Baptist Church, Leon Junction Pentecostal Church, and Mound Cowboy Church. The area is approximately 20 miles from Gatesville to the lake, and 15 miles from 107 to Ft. Hood at the widest points. Flat water supply that serves only Flat and contiguous property has approximately 130 to 140 water meters.

The church facilities presently consist of: the main brick building with a fellowship hall, two additional classrooms, a nursery and offices. Two wood frame outbuildings provide an additional 8 classrooms for children’s education with additional resource rooms.

The parsonage is adjacent to the church and provides three bedrooms, two baths, a garage, and a fenced back yard.

The 1992 document ended with this phrase…

“The church is free of debt and has discussed future building expansion.”

Since the end of Rev. Mark Kemp’s ministry here from 12/1986 to 11/1991 the church has had four pastors:
 

Attendance numbers have been up and then down again in those years; sometimes as high as 120 -130 in worship and as low as 75, with attendance over the last 5 years hovering between 90 and 130. August 20, 2006 saw that summer’s least attendance as worship attendance was 98. There were several contributing factors, including key families that were out for the day.

The church has considered building to accommodate more educational and fellowship space, as well as a new sanctuary. However, our trend has been to wait each time until the need arises and attendance eventually slacks enough to ease the pressure. We dream of a different approach; someday the Lord will show us how.

The church operates with a line-item budget so that many things can be decided and or purchased within departments without going to a business meeting for the whole church.  The church now meets once each quarter to consider: matters that may not be addressed in the budget, requests for letters, building concerns, etc.  Visitors might say the meetings are entertaining, as business is usually handled with camaraderie and candor, and seldom, if ever, in a manner unbecoming to a Christian congregation that is operating in brotherly love.

Some of the earlier budget information is not readily available because of staff changes and the death of an office computer.

Yearly Budget 2003-04: $105,135.35

Yearly Budget 2004-05: $107,170.08

Yearly Budget 2005-06: $132,582.00 

Yearly Budget 2006-07: $156,000.00 (approx.)

 

Missions giving in 2005 (consistent with some growth from previous years):

12% to Cooperative Program

6% to Associational Offices

4% to Disaster Relief

2% to missionaries in the field/retirees

In addition to percentages:

$5706.95 to Lottie Moon in 2005 and has a goal of $6000.00 in 2006

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