HISTORY

First Baptist Church of Jasper, Texas, was organized on December 23, 1855, with 15 members. The establishment of the fellowship was directed by a Presbytery consisting of ministers John Bean, William

Blackshear, E. S. Phelps, and W. W. Maund. The first service was conducted on Christmas Day by the Rev. Blackshear. Rev. Maund served as the initial pastor. The fellowship worshiped near its present location as early as 1859. Its first facility was a small wooden sanctuary. After a period of decline in the 1870's the church outgrew the first building. A larger wooden building was constructed in 1893 which served the church until 1940 when a large and modern (for its time) brick building was erected on the corner of Milam and Main. This building burned to the ground in June of 2003. The fire was a great loss for the church and the community but with God's leading, the present campus was built in the old building's place and the

ministries of the church have continued. The First Baptist Church has been instrumental in the development of area missions. Congregations sponsored by the church include Adams Chapel, North Baptist, Hillcrest Baptist, and Tanglewood Baptist Churches. A day school was founded by the church in 1965. Over the years this ministry has grown to be

the First Baptist Church Christian School offering classes from preschool through fifth grade.

In 2021, the First Baptist Church called Brother Donnie Wiltshire to be her pastor.