Between 1890 and 1898, several churches were organized in El Campo, including Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, German Lutheran, and Swedish Methodist congregations. The town's first Baptist church was organized on April 28, 1895, by the Rev. J.P. Rutledge and nine original members: B.T. Majors, Willie Downing, G.W. Siddons, Mr. and Mrs. S.B. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Skinner, Ella Petitt, and S.B. Callahan. Early services were held on the fourth Saturday evening and Sunday morning of each month. In 1898, funds were raised for a permanent house of worship, and trustees purchased land at the corner of Jackson and Depot streets, where a frame structure was soon built. The congregation continued to grow, and a three-story brick church was built at the same location in 1928, followed by several later buildings at the Jackson and Depot site. Several organizations were founded within the congregation through the years, including the Ladies Aid, later known as the Women's Missionary Union, founded prior to 1903, and the Baptist Young People's Union, active by 1927. From its beginning, the congregation collected donations for charities including home and foreign missions, Buckner's Orphan's Home, and Palacios Academy. In 1975, the church purchased property to build a mission church, now Bethel Baptist Mission, and it remains a spiritual leader in the community today.