First Christian Church

(Disciples of Christ) In the 1850s, Disciples in the pioneer town of Bright Star, also known as "The Sulphur Springs," gathered for religious meetings at neighbors' homes and in a vacant store. Two evangelists, the Rev. Charles Carlton and the Rev. J. M. Baird, organized this congregation in 1870. Joseph Hooten, a church elder, acted as interim pastor until the arrival of the first full-time minister, the Rev. Lawrence W. Scott, who served 1871-79. Shortly afterward, this fellowship purchased, in partnership with the First Baptist Church, one-half interest in a white frame sanctuary being vacated by the Methodists. The congregations worshiped on alternate Sundays.The Disciples sold their share to the Baptists in 1884 and constructed a separate church to accommodate the growing membership. This was a clapboard building in the Gothic style with a steep roof, tall arched windows, and a central bell tower and spire. Under the leadership of the Rev. D. Cephas Shelburne, a larger white brick sanctuary was completed in 1914. Classrooms were later annexed and a two-story house on a lot adjoining the church property was purchased for an education building. In 1962 a new sanctuary replaced the old church structure.

First Christian Church is a historical marker in Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, dedicated in 1977. It is one of 34 historical markers documented in Hopkins County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 75 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.1388, -95.6030 near Sulphur Springs. The nearest cataloged historic site is Sulphur Springs Loan and Building Association (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Union Stockade, City National Bank, and First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5223007307. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.