First Baptist Church was organized in the summer of 1855, when Rev. Mark Perrin Lowrey, founder of Blue Mountain College, and about a dozen other believers met under a large oak tree at the northeast corner of Franklin and Childs Streets. On September 19, 1856, the newly formed church joined the old Chickasaw Baptist Association. The Rev. Lowrey served as the first pastor of the 19-member congregation.In 1857, Reverend A. H. Booth became pastor. He and a few other members purchased a lot located on the southeast corner of Franklin and Childs Streets where the first house of worship was erected. This one-room frame church was destroyed by Federal troops during the Civil War and the congregation of 60 was without a meeting place for 12 years.
During 1874 a single story one-room white frame building with bell tower and steeple was constructed on two lots on the southeast corner of Fillmore and Childs. The large bell in the bell tower also hung in the first church. The building faced Fillmore Street and contained two large doors -- one for the men and the other for the women. During 1887 controversies over prohibition caused a church split and the Second Baptist Church was formed. Those favoring local option continued to worship at this building. A reconciliation of the two churches was achieved in October 1889 and the rejoined congregation met together again in this building. The church was known as the Corinth Missionary Baptist.
During 1894 the frame building was sold and torn down so that a larger brick building could be built on the same site at Fillmore and Childs. During the period of construction, worship services were on the second floor of Ray's Shoe Store, a building located at the southeast corner of Waldron and Franklin Streets. The new building was occupied in mid 1895 and consisted of an auditorium and several Sunday School rooms. Some of this structure is still visible at this site. During the building dedication service the church voted to send the bell that hung in the previous two churches to the Rev. E. Z. Simmons, a missionary to China, who was from Kossuth Baptist Church.
Property located at Main and Fillmore was purchased from the W. T. Adams family and became the site for the fourth building. The remainder of that half block was also acquired to provide ample space for the planned structure. On February 16, 1950, a large crowd gathered for the ground breaking ceremony, and on July 3, 1951, the cornerstone for the facility was laid. The congregation occupied the new sanctuary on Aug. 5, 1951, with Rev. D. L. Hill, pastor, and Dr. T. W. Young, former pastor, conducting the first service.
Rev. Hill retired in 1964 after 19 years as pastor. He was succeeded by Rev. P. A. "Red" Michael who served until 1969. The church membership had grown to over 1200 by 1970, when Rev. John M. Causey began the first of his 15 years of dedicated service. During this time the church's position in the community continued to grow and solidify. The educational space, church offices and library were extensively remodeled in 1976.
In 1904 Mr. Abe Rubel, a prominent merchant in the city, built this stately home facing Jackson street, on the block bordered by Jackson, Main, Polk and Second Streets. In 1970 the church purchased the home from the Rubel family. It has been used for many wedding receptions and parties and is currently being used by the youth organizations of the church.
In 1986 Rev. Dennis H. Smith became the sixteenth pastor of FBC. "Brother Dennis," as he is known by most, guided the church through a major renovation in 1988. The sanctuary was updated with new carpet and colors, a remodeled choir and pulpit area, and ten beautiful stained glass windows that were designed specifically for FBC. Each window intertwines key images to portray a portion of Biblical history, beginning with Creation in the first window and ending with the resurrected Christ in the tenth.
======== [From the church's website. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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