Memorial Baptist Church - Temple, TX
N 31° 02.217 W 097° 21.889
14R E 656054 N 3434845
Memorial Baptist Church is at 6161 S 5th St, Temple, TX.
Waymark Code: WM1862M
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/06/2023
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In addition to their website, they have an active presence on
Facebook.
Accompanied by a supplemental plaque that notes their relocation here in 2005 from 801 S 13th St -- their old facilities are now used by another church -- a 1991 Texas Historical Marker provides some history:
Less than a decade after its founding in 1881, Temple was fast developing as an important commercial center. Reflecting that growth, plans for this church began in the early 1890s. It was formally chartered as Memorial Mission Chapel on June 5, 1892, with 12 members: 9 women and 3 men. The founder and first pastor was the Rev. John Hill Luther, retired president of Baylor Female College, now the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The church name honored the preacher's son, J.H. Luther, Jr., who died of tuberculosis at age 17.
The first building was a small chapel in an early south side addition platted by J.E. Moore, on whose farm the original Temple townsite was located, and W. Goodrich Jones, Luther's son-in-law. Moved to a new site in 1905, the chapel served the congregation until facilities were built here in 1913.
Memorial Baptist Church has served its community through such programs as a radio ministry, begun in 1939, and the formation of new churches. It has been associated with several well-known Baptist preachers, including the Rev. H. Carroll Smith and the Rev. B.B. Blaylock. A symbol of Temple's early growth, the church continues to be an important part of the area's religious and cultural heritage.