Cedar Valley Baptist Church History

The minutes of the Austin Baptist Association from 1941 listed a Cedar Valley Baptist Church that was located in the same general area as the current church. The church was in existence from at least 1910 to 1944 and was described as a one room frame building that would seat 300 people. This information was not known to Buster Swope, chairman of the Missions Committee or Rev. G.W. Turner, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Elgin in 1986. Those two men had a dream and desire to extend the Word of the Lord to an area that was not particularly being reached by either Elgin or Bastrop.

 

The current location of CVBC was selected because of the potential that was present for growth. After several weeks of negotiations with Joseph A. Jackson that included several coffees and lunches at Elgin’s City Café, the current property was purchased in September of 1986 by the First Baptist Church of Elgin. The property contained a building known as Cedar Valley Church of Christ that had not been used for services for several years. The original intent was to have the building moved from the property at the expense of the Texas Embassy Living Museum but lack of funds prevented this from occurring.

 

Later the idea was developed to restore the building for church services. However this plan was halted by an untimely fire that destroyed the old structure. The Deacons at First Baptist secured and erected a tent and on September 30, 1988 the first meeting of a three day Deacon led revival was held on the grounds. On October 8, 1988 the First Baptist Church voted to authorize the Mission Committee to rent and place a temporary building on the property. Services began in October with an early average of 4-6 people present. On November 9, 1988 the First Baptist Church of Elgin officially approved the establishment of a mission at the intersection of FM 969 and FM 1704 to be named Cedar Valley Baptist Mission Church.