According to the best records available the church was founded in October 1913 by Rev. Russel C. Barbour with the assistance of his father, Rev. Albert Barbour. Rev. Barbour purchased property on the corner of 1st Avenue and 8th Street South in Texas City, Texas on which a small chapel was erected at 801 1st Avenue South. The church was originally named Barbour’s Chapel Baptist church after its founder. Rev. R. Barbour served as pastor for seven years; from 1913-1920.
The following pastors served faithfully and made a positive impact for the good of God’s people and the advancement of His Kingdom. They are listed in chronological order below:
1920 -1924 Rev. A.G. Austin
1924-1927 Rev. R.B. Evans
1927-1930 Rev. Walter Taylor- organized first choir and mission.
1930-1932 Rev. M. Lemons
1932-1933 Rev. General Lee George organized the first Usher Board and B.Y.P.U.
1933-1937 Rev. E. H. Norton
1937-1943 Rev. S.A. Adams -installed baptismal pool.
1943-1959 Rev. J.H. Scott-was the first fulltime pastor. He renovated and made the church into a two-story structure with a castle-like appearance. He also renamed the church Greater Barbour’s Chapel. The Education Fund was formed in 1952 under his leadership. The Education Fund continues to provide a monthly stipend to qualifying church members who maintained a 2.0 GPA for 4 years of college. The Deaconess were organized and the Trustee Board was formed. Rev. Scott was called to Pastor West Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaumont in 1959.
1959-1960 Rev. Bennie Reynolds
1960-1965 Rev. L.B. Brown
1965-2000 Rev. H.A. Ratcliff, Jr.; the longest tenured pastor. He served as Pastor of Greater Barbour’s Chapel for 35 years. He was instrumental in paying off the mortgage on the church located at 801 1st Ave South. He installed an elevator in the two-story structure to ensure that disabled members would not have to climb the stairs to enter the sanctuary for worship. In 1991 property was purchased on E.F Lowry Expressway to build the new church and blue prints were drawn. However, Rev. Ratcliff did not live to build the church. He passed away September 9, 2000, after having secured more than a million dollars towards the building of the new church edifice.
2001-2010 Rev. James E. Brown, Sr. was called to the church on August 26, 2001. He had a vision to build a new church edifice. The property at E.F. Lowry Expressway was sold and property purchased at 7420 FM 1765. Groundbreaking ceremony for the new church was held on March 15, 2003. The first service was held in the new church on April 15, 2004. Crossover processional and services were held on April 24, 2005. Under Rev. Brown’s leadership the Community Development Corporation was formed. The CDC received their first grant to Fund the S.T.A.R.S. program and other programs which assisted students with reading, math and science. The grant also funded the summer enrichment program. Rev. Brown resigned as Pastor November 2010 after 9 years of service.
2011-2019 Rev. Andrew Berry, II was chosen to serve as Pastor on December 18, 2011. He was the youngest pastor to ever pastor Greater Barbour’s Chapel. Under Rev. Berry’s leadership there was exponential growth of youth and young adult members. Rev. Berry departed in March of 2019 after 8 years of service.
2019-2020 Greater Barbour’s Chapel Baptist Church operated without a pastor, but continued to have Sunday worship service outside during early stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
2020-Present Rev. Kenneth L. Cotton was called to serve as pastor of Greater Barbour’s Chapel Baptist Church on May 31, 2020. Rev. Cotton came to the church during unprecedented times. In the midst of the worst pandemic the church had ever faced in its 108-year history; Rev. Cotton implemented a Covid-19 prevention assistance and education program that included: installation of a thermal scanner, strict social distancing protocol, upright hand sanitizing unit, mask mandate, established protocols for funerals and weddings, and signage. A Covid Vaccine Assistance Service for the elderly was implemented. BCBC also held the first Covid-19 & Mental Health Community Education Forums. Installed a new audio-visual system and began the Mobile Community Food Distribution and Homebound Food Box delivery services in collaboration with the Galveston County Food Bank.