By Dukes H.R. No. 531 77R9559 MDM-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane is indeed 1-2 deserving of special legislative recognition for its historic 1-3 significance in the Austin community; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The oldest African-American Baptist church in Austin 1-5 and the second oldest church of its denomination in the city, First 1-6 Baptist dates back to 1867, when a small nucleus of charter members 1-7 organized under the leadership of the Reverend Jacob Fontaine; and 1-8 WHEREAS, The church's first independent worship service was 1-9 held in the rear of a blacksmith shop located at the corner of 1-10 Tenth and Congress; later, the congregation moved to the basement 1-11 of the First Baptist Church and held services there until about 1-12 1873, when members obtained their first building at Ninth and 1-13 Guadalupe streets; and 1-14 WHEREAS, The congregation settled into a new spiritual home 1-15 at the corner of Fourteenth and Red River in an impressive edifice, 1-16 built between 1895 and 1900 and featuring stained glass windows and 1-17 twin towers, that served the faithful for more than half a century; 1-18 in 1952, to accommodate the expansion of city facilities, the 1-19 congregation moved to its third building on East Twelfth, and since 1-20 the dedication of a new sanctuary in 1966, the church home has been 1-21 located at 4805 Heflin Lane; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Recognized in 1981 by the Texas Historical 1-23 Commission, the church continues to hold a special place in the 1-24 life of the Capital City; now, therefore, be it 2-1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas 2-2 Legislature hereby honor First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane on its 2-3 historic significance in the Austin community and to the State of 2-4 Texas; and, be it further 2-5 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-6 prepared for First Baptist Church on Heflin Lane as an expression 2-7 of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.