Our History

The First Seventh Day Baptist Church of Houston began as a fellowship of the George Stillman and Steve Pierce families in the late 1950s. They met for Sabbath fellowship alternate weeks and were joined by others. Pastor Marion C. Van Horn visited the group quarterly from the SDB Southwest Association. The group met in their homes and as the group expanded, they met in a YMCA and a Unitarian Fellowship Building. 

In 1974, the SDB Memorial Board proposed a plan to fund a Pastor with the group assuming financial responsibility at the end of a ten-year period. Pastor Robert Babcock was called and the Church was organized on November 19th, 1977. A one-acre tract was purchased in North West Harris County and a building was completed providing a lovely small church.

In 1986, the Babcocks accepted a call to Santa Barbara, California. The church continued with lay leadership. In 1987, four families left with Pastor James Taylor to form another Sabbath group. The church called Pastor Bill Shobe in 1988. He led the body until 1992 when he accepted a call to the Washington, D.C SDB church.

In 1994, Jim Barclift began bringing strong biblical messages on a regular Sabbath schedule. The property in North West Houston was sold and we started meeting in a more central location at the Bellaire Presbyterian church.

Since 2010 we have worshiped in a beautiful setting in the Southwest Presbyterian Church in north Bellaire. The church helped launch a Spanish-speaking fellowship, Jesus Es Tu Solucion, which meets in the South Houston area led by Miguel and Adriana Leiva. In addition to our local ministry, the church outreach includes mission support in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and India. We also have a close, cooperative Spanish Bible Study publishing effort with Inglesia Evangelio Eterno, a Sabbath church in Quito, Ecuador.

This church is a Praying, Caring, Bible-believing body of believers open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and sharing God’s exceedingly, abundant love with others.