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First Christian Church celebrates 150 years
Photos courtesy of FCC and Ronnie Baker/staff photo.
By Marthe Stinton, mstinton@acnpapers.com
The First Christian Church of Plano has been a prominent fixture in downtown Plano for more than 100 years. This year, the church is celebrating its 150th anniversary with daylong festivities.
The celebration will kick off with a tour of the church at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 26 and will include a worship service, lunch and concert. The day's events will conclude with a reception.
Doug Deuel, senior pastor at FCC Plano, said although the church has seen several physical changes, the message has remained the same.
According to church history records, in the mid-1850s the first building that served as home to the congregation of the First Christian Church was built on Spring Creek Parkway. It served as a school and church for residents of the newly formed, vastly expanding city of Plano until 1873, when the congregation built a church on the corner of 16th Street and Avenue G. The building eventually burned to the ground in 1898. Soon after the fire, land was purchased on the corner of 15th Street and Avenue H, a new building was constructed and completed in May 1898, and the church began forming its roots in the heart of what is now downtown Plano.
Deuel said the church has remained relevant over the past 150 years because of its ability to adapt to the changing cultural environment.
“I think part of the uniqueness of our church is that we celebrate Christian unity,” Deuel said. “We are followers of Christ. It doesn’t matter if you are a Methodist or a Baptist; we are Christians first and foremost. I like to say we focus on the great commission and the great commandment. The great commission is going out and making disciples and the great commandment is love one another.”
Generations
Upon entering the sanctuary, a multi-hued shower of light shines through stained-glass windows that bear names like Saigling, Forman, Andrews, Haggard, Carpenter and Bishop. It’s easy to see that this church, through its many transformations, has served as a place of worship for Plano’s founding families and continues to beckon new families to experience a little history.
Church members Barbara Bennie, Rick Saigling and Rutledge Haggard have been members since childhood and have fond memories of FCC church life.
“We’ve all known each other since we were being rocked in a cradle,” Haggard said.
Haggard said “it’s a good feeling” knowing he is attending the same church as his forefathers.
“It’s home, and it always will be home,” Haggard said. “I hope [future Haggard generations] have the same connection. I think it’s an ongoing task to continue to educate and make our families aware of the history of what our forefathers have done to build the church here and the city around it. I think we are the only church in town that has the lead windows. This church has been updated but still has all the beauty.”
Saigling agreed.
“My two sisters, Diane Strawn and Margaret Cregg, and I are fourth-generation members of First Christian Church Plano, and my college-aged daughter, Meredith, is the fifth generation of the Saigling family to join the church,” Saigling said. “My great-grandmother Celestine Saigling, who owned the home where CITY House exists today, and my great-grandparents Tom and Ora Andrews, were also members. My grandmother Felicia Andrews Saigling was the oldest relative I remember, but she passed away in the mid-1970s. Her mother was a member of the Forman family; a Forman ancestor actually named Plano.”
Saigling grew up on his family’s farm west of Plano at the intersection of Coit Road and what is now the President George Bush Turnpike.
“It was a long trip into town for church,” Saigling said. “Many members lived much further west than us. Since we lived so far away from church when I was a little kid, my sweet mother would cook a beef roast in the oven almost every Sunday so lunch would be ready when we came home from church.
“To me, our church has such a welcoming feeling. It’s like going home,” he said.
Barbara Bennie also has deep roots in the city of Plano. She is the great-great-great-granddaughter of William Forman.
“I’m fifth generation, my daughter will be sixth, my granddaughter will be seventh and we all go to church here,” Bennie said. “We all grew up when Plano was a tiny farming town. It was special. I don’t think we knew then, but we know now, how special it is to be generations down the road and still be attending the same church.”
According to Bennie, there are 22 schools in Plano that are named after First Christian Church members.
“In 1998, we had five founding family seniors that were graduating from Plano area schools,” Bennie said. “It was really something, because it shows you that not everyone moves away from Plano. It’s neat to be a part of something. Not very many people can say that they have those kinds of roots. We are fulfilling the mission others have begun, no matter who you are. We are still here, still going, and we will be forever.”
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