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HomeMy WebLinkAboutChurch 80th AnniversaryCHURCH TURNS 80 Primera Iglesia Bautista blessed with growth By KELLI LEVEY Eagle Staff Writer P rimera Iglesia Bautista, the First Mexican Baptist Church in Bryan, has come a long way in the 80 years since the church opened. No longer does the pastor travel by foot or horse and buggy to attract new members or baptize new converts in the Brazos River. "We are totally different now," said the current pastor, the Rev. Julian Silva. The services always had been offered solely in Spanish until last November, when Silva moved here from Victoria with his wife, Brenda, and daughter, Juliana. "We had so many of the young families that spoke English and wanted a bilingual service that the church went that way," he said. "Now we've got a variety of people, some of the older ones who were there all along and younger couples and a group coming from the college who help bring in the street kids. It's a diverse church." The congregation that broke new ground as the first Mexican Baptist church in the area grew from its initial 35 members to a high of 170. Now, that number has settled at about 75. "It started as a Sunday school class at First Baptist Church and from there it blos- somed into a mission for the Hispanics who came up from Mexico," Silva said. "They grew up Catholic but became Baptists when they got involved in this church." The original church building was a donated house on Parker Street the previ- ous owner sold for a few dollars. She later gave the money back to help pay for the church's expenses. Now the congregation sits in orderly pews in a sanctuary built in 1954 at 1009 North Sims at West 16th Street. An anniversary celebration will start at 10 a.m. Sunday, when a plaque will be pre- sented that will be placed in the church entrance to commemorate the anniversary. The group will move inside, where repre- sentatives from the city and Bryan school district plan to say words of recognition for the church's longevity. The guest pastor for the occasion will be the Rev. Evodio Rios from Houston, who served as interim pastor of the Bryan church in 2000 and 2001. Music will be provided by guest perform- ers and a meal will be served afterward. "This is a time to celebrate and honor those who started this church," Silva said. "It will be a time for reunions and remem- brances."