The history of the First Baptist Church in Magnolia can be traced back as far as the history of the city itself. Organized around 1850 as the Macedonia Baptist Church, the institution is one of the two oldest churches in the Magnolia area, along with the Magnolia United Methodist Church.

The Macedonia Baptist Church started along FM 1774, near present-day Magnolia West High School, where it remained until 1909. The Union Baptist Association of Houston officially accepted the church in 1863. It had 20 members then.

The church changed its name to the Mink Prairie Baptist Church after joining the union. When the International–Great Northern Railroad made plans to build its track along FM 1774, the church relocated to FM 1488, where it stands today. It then became known as the Magnolia Baptist Church. The new building was constructed by church members, including Tom Goodson, who donated the land.

The church organized its first choir in 1933 and hired a part-time pastor in 1937, said Celeste Graves, Magnolia historian and church member since 1933. Graves recalls early days at the church when lighting came from kerosene lamps, heat from wood stoves and air conditioning from cardboard fans. The church did not have a full-time pastor until 1948.

"The church struggled to stay alive in the early years," she said. "It was a challenge in the '40s. We always had Sunday school, but we only had a preacher come in every other week."

After bringing in a full-time preacher, a host of structural improvements followed. A new brick auditorium was built in 1950, and the old one became classrooms and nursery facilities. Throughout the '50s, the church added several buildings used for educational purposes. The parsonage—the building on the campus where pastors live—was built in 1966.

Over the years, the church's membership grew from just 20 in 1863 to more than 2,000 today, according to Senior Pastor Ed Seay.

"I think the church turned a real corner in the mid '90s when they decided to diversify," he said. "They started having ministries and worship services to reach different segments of the community."

Today, the church offers classic and contemporary services, as well as a Spanish-language service. The Magnolia Cowboy Church, a ministry of FBC Magnolia that celebrates religion through cowboy culture, meets under a tent every Sunday off Nichols-Sawmill Road.

"We're very proud of what we evolved into," Seay said.

Church partnerships

The First Baptist Church of Magnolia has always sought to establish strong relationships with other area churches.

• In the early 1900s, FBC Magnolia held tent revivals twice a year with the United Methodist Church
• On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving every year, FBC Magnolia participates in a community Thanksgiving service with a variety of area churches, including the Catholic Church and Anglican Church
• The close partnership with the more recently established Magnolia Bible Church involves cooperating on events and camps

First Baptist Church of Magnolia, 18525 FM 1488, Magnolia, 281-356-8543, www.fbcmagnolia.org