The Story of the Assembly
In the year 1942, under the leadership of Rev. F.C. Drake, a building was erected on the corner of North 6th Street and Avenue C. The first service was conducted on June 13 of that year, with Rev. R.R. Fairchild of Galveston, Texas as speaker. In the three years that Bro. Drake was pastor of the church the membership grew to 25.
Rev. W.E. Hogan accepted the pastorate of the church in 1945. During his three year tenure the church all but doubled in attendance.
In May of 1948, Rev. M.M. Otwell was elected as pastor. Bro. Otwell and the men of the church built a parsonage in March 1949 on Old Hwy. 418. They also remodeled the church building and converted the old parsonage (that was atached to the back of the church) into an educational department.
In 1952, Rev. Roy Quillan came to pastor First Assembly. The church continued to grow, and soon needed more space. Since space for additions was limited, the congregation decided to purchase other property and erect a new sanctuary. The property was purchased on Highway 96 South. Bro Quillan had everything in order to begin the new building before resigning as pastor.
Rev. J.A. Hendrix came to pastor the church on July 9, 1954. In the 27 years of his tenure of faithful service to First Assembly, Bro. Hendrix was successful in building a new church that was completed around 1956. Because the church continued to grow and prosper, in 1974 new property was purchased on 200 Durdin St. and in 1977 the congregation moved to its new facilities.
In March of 1981, Rev. Reggie Lloyd assumed the pastorate. His vision was one of outreach and evangelism. During his tenure of 7 1/2 years, more buses and vans were purchased for transportation and outreach. The building of the Family Life Center was started under Bro. Lloyd's ministry and the church experienced steady growth.
God is ever faithful, and in May of 1988 Rev. Sidney Woods from Baytown, Tx. came to be the pastor of the church. In the 21 years since he has arrived, Bro Woods has worked diligently to complete the Family Life Center; purchased new property fronting Hwy. 96; purchased a large piece of property on the west side of the church which includes a beautiful home; renovated the sanctuary and educational buildings; added a lovely new entrance coming into the the church off Hwy. 96; constructed a balcony to make room for the growing congregation and much more.
On Thanksgiving Weekend of 2003, a fire destroyed our church and education faclities, forcing us to move into our Family Life Center where we held services for 3 1/2 years. But, praise be to God, today we are worshiping in a brand new sanctaury that seats some 600. Located on the same property where we lost our facilities by fire we are enjoying the blessings of God as the church continues to move forward with God's blessings. God is forever faithful!
Each pastor, minister, and many faithful laymen who have come through the doors of First Assembly have made great contributions to the growth of the church and thus the Kingdom of Heaven. From a small building to the beautiful and spacious facilities we enjoy today, First Assembly has indeed grown into a multifaceted ministry reaching out to our community and around the world. Through the grace and the help of God, we as a church will scale even higher heights and explore deeper depths as the Lord leads us on to be more than conquerors in Him.
What We Believe
- The Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative written Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
- There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19).
- In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His imminent return to this earth in power and glory to rule a thousand years (John 1:1).
- In the blessed hope - the rapture of the Church at Christ's coming (Titus 2:13).
- The only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ (John 14:6).
- Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal salvation (Titus 3:5).
- In water baptism by immersion (Matthew 28:19).
- The redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer (1 Peter 2:24).
- The baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it.
- In the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life (Galations 5:16-25).
- In the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to damnation (Revelation 20:11-15).
Ordinances
WATER BAPTISM - Baptism by immersion in water is commanded (Mark 16:16). All who repent and believe on Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior are to be baptized. This act symbolically declares to others that the old sinful life and lifestyle died with Christ at salvation and a new spiritual life has been raised with Christ.
COMMUNION - The Lord's supper, consisting of bread and fruit of the vine, is a memorial of Christ's suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26). In eating and drinking the sacraments, the believer expresses his/her awareness that through salvation he/she (1) has been made right with God and (2) shares the divine nature of eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. This ordinance also looks forward to Christ's second coming for it is a reminder to proclaim the Lord's death "until He comes!"
Our services...
THE WORD - From Genesis to Revelation, we believe that all of God's Word is relative to our life today. The truths that we discover and preach are life changing and delivered in a manner that are both encouraging and challenging. From those who are searching to those who are reaching to higher heights, the message that is delivered will help you discover who you are in Christ.
PRAYER - A special time to pray for the needs of people is set aside in each service. Prayer needs that are lifted up to the Father may be spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, family and/or job related, guidance, etc. As we pray in agreement for each other, we see the Lord's hand move to meet many needs and perform miracles that could not otherwise happen. It's a great time in the order of our service.
WORSHIP -The worship of our Lord is something very special in the services of First Assembly. Our worship is a genuine experience that responds to the greatness of God's nature in very relevant and meaningful expressions of praise.It's a life changing experience that leads us into the throne room of God to be in His prensence and to enjoy the fulness of His glory.
GIVING - During the service, a time is set aside to worship God through the giving of our tithes and offerings. We believe that giving the tithe, the first tenth of our income, and our offerings declares that the Lord and His work are first priority. Our giving recognizes His blessing, expresses faith, and demonstrates loyalty to the ministry of His church. This is the method that God has set up for the support of His Kingdom through the local assembly.
