Where Do We Go?
Upon arriving at Lake Texoma, we began finding a church while traveling and were surprised by how many choices we had. After spending most of the year outside the Bible Belt, we were shocked to see so many Baptist churches within just a few miles of each other. Suddenly, the question wasn’t, Is there a church nearby? It became, Which one should we choose?
One church in particular kept catching our attention, First Baptist Gordonville, Texas. We noticed signs around our RV park and throughout town. Then, while scrolling Facebook, an interesting ad appeared. Maybe finding a church while traveling would turn out to be easier than we imagined!
Let’s Crash Their Party
Now, whether you are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic—or even agnostic—it’s hard to turn down a free fish fry, popcorn, and a movie!
When Ken saw the invitation, he said, “Let’s go!”
“But they aren’t expecting us,” I replied. “What if they had a sign-up sheet? What if they don’t have enough food?”
“The Facebook post said it was open to the community,” Ken answered.
“But we’re not really part of the community. We’re just visiting. I don’t want to embarrass them if they don’t have enough.”
Ken smiled and said, “It’s a church. We will be welcome. They’re expecting guests. Let’s go.”
After a little convincing, I gave in.
“You’re right. Let me get dressed.”
Before we even finished walking down the sidewalk toward the men cooking fish, we had already been spotted.
Immediately, Keith stepped away from his friends and came over to greet us.
We explained that we had seen the invitation and joked that we were there to crash their party.
“You’re not crashing our party,” Keith said with a smile. “We wanted you to come.”
He began introducing us to everyone helping outside and then took us into the gym to meet more people.
As soon as we walked in, church members surrounded us with greetings and conversation. There was not a shy person in the bunch! We met Keith’s wife, his sisters, cousins, and more.
Laughing, I finally asked, “Is everyone related here?”
“Almost!” came the reply.
Lots of Food… and New Friends
My eyes wandered across the room and landed on enough food to feed the entire community.
Tables were covered with fish and all the “fixin’s,” along with an impressive collection of homemade desserts.
I thought to myself, That’s just like a country Baptist church. I should have never doubted their faith… or their cooking!
These kind people treated us like long-lost friends.
“Come get in line.”
“Can we get you anything else?”
“Want more fish?”
“There’s plenty!”
They made sure we always had someone to talk with, plenty to eat, and felt completely welcome.
Movie Night Essentials
Everyone brought blankets and comfortable lawn chairs to settle in for the evening.
The movie was I Can Only Imagine, the story of Bart Millard’s life—one we have always enjoyed.
Even after fish, ice cream, peach cobbler, and other desserts, we somehow found room for popcorn, Snickers bars, and iced tea during the movie.
When the evening ended, people encouraged us to take leftovers home and return Sunday morning.
We promised we would.
Finding a Church While Traveling on Sunday Morning
Sunday morning arrived, and we were excited to return.
What surprised me most happened before we even got through the door.
The greeters, DeEtte and Lonnie, welcomed us with:
“Ken and Anna Lee, welcome! It’s good to see you this morning.”
I laughed and said, “Wait—you remember our names? I’ve met so many people, I don’t think I could remember anyone!”
DeEtte smiled, “That’s okay. You had a lot to remember. We only had two names.”
Then they invited us to the breakfast bar. (Yes—they have breakfast every Sunday morning. This is clearly a church that appreciates good food!)
As we entered the sanctuary, Ken and I noticed pillows and blankets in the pews. That immediately brought back memories of childhood in small country churches where the senior saints came prepared to make hard pews more comfortable.
“Don’t pay attention to those,” said Keila, the pastor’s wife. “You can sit anywhere.”
The Prayer Tree
As we walked down the aisle (we are second-row Baptists), our attention was drawn to a unusual tree displayed in front of the baptistry.
Ada, one of the pastor’s daughters, came over and explained it to us.
The tree was covered with names, and beside some names were crosses.
Written on the trunk was 1 Timothy 2:8, “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”
Ada explained: “Our church places the names of people we are praying will come to know Jesus Christ. One cross means they accepted Christ. Two crosses mean they accepted Christ and committed their life to full-time service.”
She then shared about two people she had prayed for—both accepted Christ and one of them also surrendered to the ministry. Ada was pretty excited about these stories. Ken and I shared in the excitement.
Worship Together
Pastor Ollie continued explaining how the tree reflected the church’s focus on prayer, evangelism, and discipleship.
He said we all need to keep Romans 1:16 in mind: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
Before the sermon, we sang hymns, prayed, and heard from a missionary preparing for her first assignment in Southwest Asia. (How very important it is that we pray and support our missionaries.)
Pastor Ollie preached from Philippians 4 on the theme of moving forward together.
More Than a Movie Night
So, what did we experience that weekend?
We experienced the love of Christ through people who welcomed complete strangers and treated them like family.
If you need a friend, someone to pray with, someone to talk to—or even just a bite to eat—the doors of First Baptist Church Gordonville are open.
When you belong to Christ, fellow believers become family.
At First Baptist Church of Gordonville, they want people to feel exactly that.
They say, “Welcome. Please come back.”
On July 11, First Baptist Church of Gordonville plans another movie night with food. Pastor Ollie announced it by saying, “Tell a friend you’ll buy their dinner and take them to a movie. Then bring them here—and it costs you nothing. You both win!”
And guess what? We just happen to have plans to be back in the area to meet a longtime friend. Looks like we may get to crash their party one more time—and this time bring a friend, just like Pastor Ollie said.
If you are in the area of First Baptist Gordonville, stop by. They will be glad to see you.
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” — Matthew 25:35
One thing we learned is that finding a church while traveling is about more than choosing a building—it is about finding fellowship.
Everywhere I go, I enjoy camping with Jesus—on the road and in life.
Enjoy your journey, and feel free to reach out.
Tips for the Journey
There are over 5,000 RV sites within five miles of First Baptist Church, Gordonville. In fact, the church is in the process of beginning an RV ministry.
We stayed at Lake Texoma Thousand Trails. It has 30 and 50 amp sites, with full hook-ups and the usual amenities of Thousand Trails (swimming pool, golf, horse shoes, bath house, laundry) and they are located on Lake Texoma. The older sites have shade, but the newer ones have very few trees.
To learn more about First Baptist Church Gordonville, check out their website. We have taken the guesswork out of finding a church while traveling to Lake Texoma in Gordonville, TX!