November 16, 1850 FBC Quitman was founded. After establishing the church its small congregation worshipped in public buildings, homes, open air and under brush arbors throughout Quitman.
Growth increased 450% in just seven years. As the membership grew, so did the desire for a permanent place of worship. The Quitman Masonic Lodge was built in 1855. It was made available for worship. During its first 50 years FBCQ usually met once a moth. Churches, in the early days, experienced difficulty in finding pastors. This resulted in most Baptist churches meeting once or twice monthly. However, FBCQ membership continued to grow.
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| 1st Church Building, 1855 |
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| Ringing from the Beginning |
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At the turn of the century, the Mason Building was near ruins. It was torn down. The Baptists and Masons erected another two-story building. This structure had a belfry and a huge bell. The bell served these first two buildings from 1855 to 1929. It now occupies a special spot on FBC Quitman's front lawn.
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The community experienced a great spiritual awaking in 1908. This was one of the most outstanding revivals in FBCQ history. At the end of the two-week tent meeting, around 100 had joined the church. Approximately 50 of these joined by profession of faith. They were baptized in a lake on Lake Fork Creek called Wells Lake.
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| 2nd Church Building, 1900 |
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| 3rd Church Building, 1929 |
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On October 23, 1927, the church realized that they needed a larger building to meet their needs. A committee was appointed to lead the construction of the new building located on Lane Street, our present site. It was a long struggle during the depression years, but the final note was paid off on December 31, 1936.
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During the next two decades the church continued to grow. Money was raised. A ground breaking ceremony was held on October 8, 1950 to inact plans. An education building was first built which temporarily held services until the new sanctuary was built.
The old building was razed and work started on the new sanctuary. On January 27, 1952, the prayers, hopes and dreams of the church body came true as they decicated the finished sanctuary. This building continues to serve First Baptist Church Quitman. Many groundbreakings have followed and many more are sure to come.
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Established
Facilities
| Family Life Center ~ 2000
Nursery - Preschool Facility ~ 1985
Fellowship Hall / Kitchen / Sunday School Classrooms ~ 1981
Office Complex / Education Wing/Youth Room ~ 1973
Present Sanctuary ~ 1952
Educational Wing ~ 1951
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