First Baptist Church of White Settlement

First Baptist Church of White Settlement. . , Six charter members established this congregation in 1868 and named it New Prospect Baptist Church. The founding members - Joseph and Melinda Jane Farmer, James and Sally Young, and Lawrence and E. A. Steel - called the Rev. J. C. Powers as their first pastor. They met in Grant's School, a one-room log cabin that also served as a community center. , Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dearing gave the church an acre of land and then sold another acre to the church for the purpose of building a permanent house of worship in the White Settlement community in 1905. Three years later the name was changed to White Settlement Baptist Church. A lightning strike in May 1946 caused the church building to burn to the ground. Members met in an adjacent school facility while plans were made for a new building, which was completed in 1953. , The congregation maintained a fairly small membership until the 1940s and 1950s when nearby development of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, Carswell Air Force Base and associated industries brought a surge in the area's population. During this time, White Settlement Baptist Church helped found a number of new congregations in the county and developed strong programs of education, mission and outreach to the community. , Known as the First Baptist Church of White Settlement since 1954, the congregation has played a significant role in the religious history of Tarrant County and continues to uphold the ideals and traditions of its founders.