First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs

Since November 5, 2017, the church has kept two buildings side by side. The 1949 sanctuary, where 26 people were killed, is now a memorial holding 26 white chairs, each bearing a name and set where that person sat. The new worship center beside it, dedicated May 19, 2019, seats 250 and has a bell tower and a prayer tower. A mission board helped secure the vacant lot, which members call Karla's corner for Karla Holcombe, one of those killed. Frank Pomeroy, the pastor, lost his daughter Annabelle, 14, in the attack.

What the plaque says

First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs Originally called Sutherland Springs Central Baptist Church, the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs was established in 1926. Prior to this date, citizens of the community heard sermons from circuit riders traveling through the area and met in each other's homes. In 1926, a group of people gathered to form a Baptist church, initially meeting in the old Sutherland Springs School building. Soon, the congregation erected a frame building on the site of the home of Dr. John Sutherland, the founder of the community. Dr. Sutherland's hand-dug water cistern lined with limestone is still visible. In 1949, the original church was replaced with a new, modern facility on the same site using lumber from the old building. The farmers, laborers and truck drivers within the congregation adeptly constructed the 1949 sanctuary themselves. During the construction, the congregation met at the Old Town Sutherland Springs School gymnasium. Members engaged with each other and the larger community through regular events. First Baptist's calendar included Vacation Bible School, Fall Festival, Sunday School and meetings of the Women's Missionary Union and Baptist Training Union. Baptisms were conducted in Cibolo Creek. Regular outings included trips to the zoo and aquarium, Old Towne Days Parade and camp outs which featured sermons by the lake. Members organized community outreaches such as a food and clothing pantry, a twice-annual tent revival and Thanksgiving community dinner. Tragedy struck the church on November 5, 2017, when a gunman killed 26 church members. To help heal from the horrible event, the church built a new sanctuary on the property, determined to continue its history of service and love in the community. (2020)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Panna Maria — 24 mi
  The Silesian village on a plateau above the San Antonio River that claims the oldest permanent Polish settlement in America, with a church of 1878 and a ceiling found again in 2000.
• Mission Espada and the Espada Aqueduct — 24 mi
  The southernmost San Antonio mission and the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States, still carrying river water over Sixmile Creek to the fields after nearly three centuries.
• Mission San Juan — 24 mi
  The mission near the river bend where the San Antonio got its name in 1691, with an unfinished church foundation and farm fields still watered by an eighteenth-century acequia.
• San Antonio Missions National Historical Park — 26 mi
  Four working parish churches on the Mission Trail south of downtown, with the visitor center at Mission San Jose, the Queen of the Missions, and the descendants who still worship there.

More markers nearby

• Sutherland Springs — steps away
• Sutherland Springs School Site — steps away
• Pat Higgins Grass Farms — 1.0 mi
• Linne Oil Field — 3.5 mi