WHERE WE'VE BEEN...
The official beginning of First Christian Church of Granbury was in the fall of 1873 when Joseph Addison Clark and his two sons, Addison and Randolph, established the AddRan Male and Female College in Thorp Spring, 3.8 miles northwest of Granbury. The history of First Christian Church is closely tied to that of AddRan College, which eventually evolved into Texas Christian University (TCU).
THE ORIGINAL HOME OF FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GRANBURY
original building
In 1873 when Randolph Clark came to Hood County from Fort Worth to help establish AddRan College, he reported finding a small group of “Campbellites” meeting in the courthouse. J.H. Harbison, the livery stable owner, preached on Sundays. The church began to serve as the church home of Clark and his family as well as the students of AddRan College. The Clarks and AddRan (TCU) eventually moved to Waco and finally to Fort Worth, but some congregants stayed behind to minister to the community of Granbury. In 1889 members of the congregation constructed a frame building at the southeast corner of Houston and Bluff Streets. The deed to the building was filed in Hood County on April 22, 1889.
The congregation worshiped in this building for the next 97 years. The original frame building has since been moved to the corner of Bridge and Brazos Streets, where it is now the Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Education Center, a concert hall of Tarleton State University.
On Easter Sunday in 1986 the members of First Christian Church worshiped for the first time in the newly constructed limestone building at 2109 West Highway 377. In 1998 the congregation dedicated the $1.3 million addition including a fellowship hall/gymnasium, an enlarged sanctuary, a classroom wing, a new and enlarged nursery, and a lobby with an atrium and a foyer.
2006 groundbreaking
GROUNDBREAKING FOR OUR NEWEST ADDITION IN 2006
In June 2006 we celebrated the completion of the most recent addition to our facilities. The new building includes offices, bathrooms with showers, two large classrooms for youth, additional classrooms for adults, and a library area. The earlier education wing is now devoted to our children's ministry.
We burned the mortgage to the 2006 addition in March of 2012 and are now completely debt free. In less than two generations, FCC has gone from a worshiping membership that would barely fill two pews to one with a membership of approximately 380 and with worship attendance averaging over 200 each Sunday. FCC is currently dreaming about what God is calling us to be in the next phase of our life. We are excited to explore new ways to love and serve Granbury.