Bastrop, Bastrop County
On March 1, 1903, Primera Iglesia Bautista organized as the culmination of mission work carried out by Primera Iglesia Bautista of Welder. By 1907, the congregation constructed their first church building, led by the Rev. Paul C. Bell, the growing membership was active in the community, opening a primary and secondary school for the area's unschooled Hispanic children (1920), an orphanage (1920), and a Baptist Bible Institute (1924). Some of the orphans and students later became ministers and missionaries. The congregation moved to a new building in 1928. Members have since continued to minister to English and Spanish-speaking residents of the area. Today Primera Baptist Church remains a beacon of light in the Bastrop community.