History

Retta Baptist Church met for the first time under a brush arbor built on the southwest corner of the existing property. Mr. J.A. Davis sold this one acre tract of land to the church for $1.00 on September 12, 1914. For the next several years, Retta replaced that original brush arbor with a tent (the Tabernacle), which we rebuilt each spring for outside services and revivals. We first built the Tabernacle in May, 1915, at a cost of $207.35. Air pump lanterns lit the interior and a wood stove provided heat.

Retta met only one weekend per month until December 1930, at which time we started meeting two weekends per month. Weekly services were started in 1938. People came in wagons and buggies and would bring quilts to put on the ground where children could sleep during the all day singings. We baptized the people who received Christ during this period either in Village Creek or in a member's stock tank.

In 1922, Retta purchased Waldon's Chapel, a frame church building on C.R. 1187, and moved it to the property. At completion, it seated 156 people. The first electricity, which had to be cranked, was run from the Maxwell's store, still standing across the street to the southwest of the current church location.

In the late 1940's, Retta built its first brick building. It had a one-story auditorium which seated 175 people and a two-story education wing on the north side. This building also included the church’s first baptistry.

The church built a parsonage in 1969, which we have remodeled several times over the years. Staff members have used it almost continually. We also started a new auditorium in 1971. When the frame-work was up, an extremely high wind destroyed everything except the foundation. Retta's faithful workers started over, and the church held the first service in the new worship center on October 17, 1971, with 252 people present. In 1974, Retta added an educational wing and an office wing to the northwest of the auditorium.

During 1983, Retta's family quickly outgrew the old fellowship hall and existing education space. We completed a new fellowship hall in September, 1988, which had a large commercial kitchen and seated 380 people.

In February 1986 Retta scheduled dual worship services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. with Sunday School at 9:45. In October 1986 we began a building program for a multi-purpose building to serve as a worship center as well as an activity center. We completed this building, which seats 1,000, in September 1988.

In June 1997 Retta purchased the metal frame of the old gym at Tarver Rendon School. With the faithful giving of our people, we built a family life center for a cost of $140,000 and paid cash for the building. The project was completed in May 1998. Then, in April 1999 we remodeled the multi-purpose building we used as a worship center and made a beautiful auditorium in which to worship.

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