Greater Barbour’s Chapel Baptist Church is at 7420 FM 1765 in Texas City, Texas. Founded in October 1913, the Baptist congregation is known for a long history of preaching and teaching, all-ages Sunday worship, student support and direct service to neighbors through mobile food distribution and homebound deliveries. Its ministries connect nursery care and youth groups with adult fellowship, music and practical community work.
From Barbour’s Small Chapel to the FM 1765 Sanctuary
The church began in October 1913 when the Rev. Russel C. Barbour, assisted by his father, the Rev. Albert Barbour, purchased property at 1st Avenue and 8th Street South and erected a small chapel at 801 1st Avenue South. It was first named Barbour’s Chapel Baptist Church, and Rev. Russel Barbour served as pastor from 1913 to 1920. The name Greater Barbour’s Chapel was adopted later, preserving the founder’s family name while marking the church’s growth.
Rev. J.H. Scott, pastor from 1943 to 1959 and the first full-time pastor, renovated the original building into a two-story structure with a castle-like appearance. During his leadership the Education Fund was formed in 1952, the deaconess were organized, and the Trustee Board was established. The education ministry continues to provide monthly stipends to qualifying church members who maintain a 2.0 GPA through four years of college, supporting students in their first four years of higher education.
The Rev. H.A. Ratcliff Jr. served from 1965 to 2000, the church’s longest pastorate at 35 years. He paid off the mortgage on the First Avenue building, installed an elevator so disabled members could reach the sanctuary without stairs, and helped raise more than $1 million for a new church. Property was acquired at 7420 FM 1765, groundbreaking was held March 15, 2003, and the first service in the new sanctuary took place April 15, 2004. A crossover service followed on April 24, 2005.
Under the Rev. James E. Brown Sr., the Community Development Corporation was formed and its first grant funded the S.T.A.R.S. program for reading, math and science as well as a summer enrichment program. The Rev. Andrew Berry II followed from 2011 to 2019 and led strong growth among youth and young adults. The Rev. Kenneth L. Cotton became pastor on May 31, 2020, bringing a teacher-preacher-author perspective and a mission of outreach to the church’s next chapter.
Sunday School at Nine, Worship at 10:15
Sunday begins at 9:00 a.m. with Sunday School for all age groups, followed by morning worship at 10:15 a.m. Morning worship begins promptly and ends before noon. First-time guests are welcomed as friends by greeters, assisted by ushers and embraced by members. Music ministry and the preached word are central to the service, which is conducted in an atmosphere of warmth and love.
Arrival is straightforward: a trustee opens the main entrance door, greeters meet visitors in the foyer, and ushers help people find seats inside the sanctuary. A welcome table offers a weekly brochure, the pastor’s article, event flyers, information about staff and ministers, and building maps. Children can be registered for nursery and classes at the same table, while greeters and ushers answer questions and direct visitors as needed.
There is no narrow dress requirement. Church members and most attendees dress appropriately for worship, but people are encouraged to come as they are. A freewill offering is received during worship, and members are encouraged to give a tithe in accordance with biblical principles. Giving is also available through the church’s online giving.
Nursery care is provided for every church service, with a check-in system for children. Sunday School classes include Children’s Church for ages 3 and up, Kindergarten for ages 4 to 6, Primary for ages 7 to 9, Juniors for ages 10 to 12, and youth for ages 13 to 16. A deacon or greeter directs families to the right room. Teachers in the lower divisions have background checks, and children’s and youth volunteers are pre-approved and specially trained.
All services are livestreamed through the church’s live feed, YouTube and Facebook. The Audio Visual Ministry team streams from the main sanctuary, and past services and messages are preserved in the sermon archive.
A Week of Fellowship, Study and Song
The church’s week extends beyond Sunday. Women gather for a Bible lesson at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Mondays in the H.A. Ratcliff Fellowship Hall. Men gather for Bible study at 7:00 p.m. on those same Mondays in the conference room. Both groups pair teaching with service and fellowship. The men’s ministry seeks mature discipleship and stronger family leadership, while the women’s ministry emphasizes knowing Jesus, seeking his Kingdom and becoming equipped for service.
Wednesday prayer begins at 6:30 p.m., with Bible study for youth and adults at 7:00 p.m. Thursday brings children’s choir rehearsal at 6:00 p.m., youth choir rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. before the second Sunday, and men’s choir rehearsal at 7:00 p.m. A mobility, balance and strength class for women meets at 1:30 p.m.
Young adults ages 18 to 35 have a fellowship, service and Bible study designed to help them become more like Jesus. Music ministry is also broader than leading songs: it is called a service to God that supports the sermon, teaches and admonishes through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and gives the congregation a way to express gratitude and joy.
Growing Up in the Faith
Children’s and youth ministries are designed as a direct response to biblical teaching. Elementary classes use activities and age-appropriate biblical truths, with the goal of helping children know Jesus, grow stronger and make a difference. The youth program seeks to help middle and high school students live out their faith with dignity and hope, using 1 Timothy 4:12 as its standard for speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Vacation Bible School is part of the yearly ministry cycle. The Education Fund extends support beyond high school with monthly college stipends, and the summer enrichment program adds further academic support.
Food for Neighbors and Learning Support for Students
Community service is not limited to the church grounds. Greater Barbour’s Chapel operates a mobile food distribution on the third Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and a homebound food-box delivery on the third Thursday at 9:00 a.m. The work began in collaboration with the Galveston County Food Bank. Pastor Cotton, deacons and volunteers help with distribution, while deacons and their spouses also deliver boxes to sick and shut-in neighbors. Community gatherings include church members’ barbecue service, extending the church’s hospitality beyond the sanctuary.
Education is another central form of service. The historical STARS grant funded reading, math and science, while summer enrichment gave students additional academic opportunities. Administrative staff member Sister Charlene Barrett also provides tutoring in core subjects, college entrance examinations and the state-mandated test required for high school graduation. Benevolence and hospitality, homebound deliveries, food distribution and the Education Fund all express the church’s commitment to helping people throughout the community.
Pastor Cotton frames this work as a mission mindset: ministry has outreach at its core, the community is the mission field, and the message brings life. His motto is I live what I preach. The church’s mission is Striving to do His Will, while its vision combines teaching and preaching God’s Word, helping the needy and serving in an atmosphere of love fueled by the Holy Spirit.
Striving to Do His Will
The Barbour’s Chapel family wants to know God more fully through Bible study, praise and prayer. It seeks to act as the body of Christ through practical service and to point people to Scripture. The church holds that faith is acting on the Word of God and that the Bible is the written, inspired Word of God, inerrant in its original writing.
Its beliefs affirm one true and living God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each fully divine and worthy of the same worship, confidence and obedience. The church also affirms the indwelling and baptism of the Holy Spirit, the rapture, and Jesus Christ as the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Christ shed his blood at Calvary, was buried, rose again and ascended to the Father according to Scripture.
Those teachings shape the church’s public life as well as its worship. The vision is to seek and save the lost, disciple believers, equip the saints and help the needy in an atmosphere of love, while waiting and watching for Christ’s return. Baptism and Christian experience are the two routes to membership offered to people who join after attending the church.
Pastor Kenneth Cotton and a Serving Deacon Team
The Rev. Kenneth L. Cotton has spent more than 30 years preaching and teaching God’s Word. He is a teacher, preacher and author who previously served as associate minister and new-member orientation facilitator at Mount Gillion Baptist Church in Center, Texas, then as pastor of Goodwill Baptist Church in Pineland for more than 20 years. His ministry background includes work with the Ministers Division, Sunday School Congress and Baptist doctrine in the Sabine Valley District Association, as well as membership in the BM&E State Convention. He attended Andersonville Baptist Seminary and Virginia Union School of Theology and continues in training.
Cotton describes himself as a servant leader shaped by Mark 10:42-45, with listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship and commitment to the growth of people. He works especially through ministries for children, youth, young adults, seniors and people in need. He also spends time in community meetings and volunteering for mobile food distribution, in addition to teaching and preaching.
Deacons and Their Ministry Responsibilities
- William Shorter, Elder Deacon: the church’s first elder, he remains an avid Bible student and teacher.
- Marcus K. Davis Sr., Deacon: chairman of the Board of Deacons, voice on the prayer call and helper to the youth ministry.
- Edwin C. Shelton, Deacon: financial secretary and trustee, Sunday School teacher, Brotherhood member and operation manager for mobile food distribution.
- Andrew Knoxson, Deacon: teacher of new-member classes, mobile food volunteer and regular intercessor at the altar.
- Roy Byerly, Deacon: trustee, Sunday School teacher, Brotherhood member and leader of the Bereavement ministry.
- Wilton Jackson, Deacon: volunteer for mobile distribution and homebound food delivery who also serves barbecue at community events.
- Earl Colvin, Deacon: Sunday School superintendent and chair of Benevolence and Hospitality.
- Milton Randle, Deacon: chair of the Education Fund and helper with summer enrichment.
- John Glover, Deacon: teacher of new-member classes and an active witness during Sunday worship.
- Willis Johnson, Deacon: responsible for the baptismal pool and for its maintenance and sanitation.
One Church Family on FM 1765
At 7420 FM 1765, Greater Barbour’s Chapel Baptist Church remains a Texas City congregation shaped by more than a century of preaching, teaching, worship and service. From nursery and Sunday School to adult Bible study, the church organizes its life around Scripture, prayer, fellowship and a willingness to meet practical needs in the community.