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The Bay Area First Baptist Church campus is
located on a 50-acre tract of land in League
City, Texas - on FM 518, 2 ½ miles west of I-45
South. The campus houses a 600-plus seat Worship
Center, Bible Study facilities for all ages
(birth thru senior adults) and a Sports Center.
Bay Area Christian School, located on this same
campus, is a private school, K thru 12th grades,
with over 500 students.
Visitors may park in guest parking and pick up
information about Bible Study, Worship and
weekday activities at the information counters.
Friendly greeters will gladly assist in locating
classrooms and childcare facilities.
Map
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With a present membership of over 1000 and
weekly attendance of 600 plus, Bay Area First
Baptist Church is a strong presence in the Bay
Area of southeast Texas. The church has
experienced growth in worship, Bible study,
missions and evangelism.
The First 100 Years
Bay Area First Baptist Church was organized
on December 4, 1887, in the Clear Creek School
House as a missionary
Baptist church in the Union Baptist
Association. The first baptisms were held in
Clear Creek and thus the name was Clear Creek
Baptist Church. It was the first Baptist church
on the mainland in Galveston County.
The first church building was dedicated June 14,
1896. At that time the name First Baptist
Church, League City was adopted. A month later
in July 1896, the first Sunday School began. But
disaster struck in the form of a hurricane
September 3, 1900, and the first building was
destroyed. Services were held at the
Presbyterian Church until the second building
was completed at the same site November 15,
1902. Sunday School was reorganized March 8,
1914.
Oil was discovered in the League City-Dickinson
area in the late 1930's, which resulted in an
influx of many new people into the area. The
years 1937-1939 brought a remarkable increase of
membership with 158 additions, bringing the
total membership to 207. The average Sunday
School attendance was ninety-six. The decade of
the fifties brought a new sanctuary, a new
parsonage, a new mission church birthed in
Friendswood (FBC) and a new high in Sunday
School attendance with an average in the 300's.
We began a ministry to the Spanish-speaking
people of the area in January, 1965. They have
added great warmth and have been a rich blessing
to our assembly.
The "super seventies" were marked by the opening
of the Bay Area Christian School and the first
presentation of Bethlehem City, a live,
drive-thru nativity attended by thousands each
year. On May 15, 1976, a bold new step was
taken. Ground was broken at a new location. God
had provided 50 acres to be filled with
ministry. The first service was held in the
worship center (gymnatorium) April 3, 1977. On
May 1, 1977, the building was dedicated to
evangelism. In 1982, Bay Area was added to the
name First Baptist Church to better identify the
goal of the church in reaching the Bay Area.
Randall Williams
Becomes Pastor in 1994
Beginning in 1993, a pastor search committee
asked God to send a leader with passion for
outreach and a heart for the Bay Area. The
Committee unanimously agreed on Randall
Williams. He accepted the call to become the
32nd pastor of Bay Area First Baptist Church.
In 1995, a Sports Center was built to
accommodate the church's growing ministries. On
October 5, 1997, Bay Area celebrated the grand
opening of a $1.2 million newly renovated
Worship Center. In 2005 a new 36,000 sq. ft.
Children's Center was added for school and
children's ministry. The $1.5 million Student
Center was built in 2006 to offer junior high
through college students a place to worship,
hold Bible study and gather for fellowship.
Throughout the 120-plus year history, God's hand
has clearly been on Bay Area First Baptist
Church. As God has directed, men and women have
consistently stepped out in faith to meet the
challenges before them. |
