History of First Christian Church Terrell

In 1875, (some early documents suggest 1874 or 1876) the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was established in Terrell. For the first few years the church met in borrowed quarters. Then in 1881, on land purchased from R.A. Terrell, the church built a sanctuary of simple construction. There was no vestibule, bell tower or baptistery, yet a writer of the day described the facility as "commodious."

In 1895 the first building was inadequate for a congregation which had grown from 20 to more than 200 so a new tall frame building was erected at the corner of Adelaide and Asylum. This building has a bell tower and spire, vestibule, baptistery and stained glass windows.

In 1920 the first steps were taken to replace the frame church building with the present brick sanctuary. An added feature of this new building was the installation of the Kimball organ with its echo and chimes, one of three such organs in Texas. In 1945, the note on this building was finally retired.

In 1958 the present brick parsonage was built next door to the church, replacing the old frame one.

On October 9, 1988, the Charles E. Mull Christian Family Center was dedicated. This multi-purpose building included space for classrooms, church offices, parlor, conference room, fellowship hall/gymnasium, kitchen, racquetball court and nursery.

In 1995 a Homecoming was held to celebrate the complete restoration of the sanctuary building and the beginning of a campaign to retire the church debt. That note was burned in 2006.

The church will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026.