Scotsdale Baptist Church

Nestled in the established neighborhood surrounding Album Park on El Paso's older east side, the Scotsdale Baptist Church sits serenely on a block between sturdy brick homes and sweeping mulberries as a sort of beacon to the area residents; since I grew up in this neighborhood and spent many nights running around Album Park as a college student, I always marveled at the white steeple that was illuminated and even visible from the other side of the park.  It always gave me a feeling of calm and reassurance although I had never stepped foot inside the building until very recently.  This was my first glimpse inside a Baptist church although I have been inside other Protestant churches for concerts or weddings.

El Paso has a very deep and rich history tied with the Catholic church due to its history as a Spanish settlement that morphed into Mexican and then American soil, but what is often overlooked are the deeply embedded Protestant ties within this city to some charming older churches of many different sects, including Baptist.  Although the church started in 1961 at someone's residence, according to an office worker named Deborah, the building was erected not much later as the neighborhood was just in its genesis at that time.  My parents' house, which is down Wedgewood from Album Street, was built in the early 60s when this area was literally the edge of town.  I had the pleasure to visit this church that lies a few blocks from my own residence and meet some very nice people who were eager to show me around.

From the church office behind the main building I found this very well manicured quad setting with some smaller buildings situated around a gazebo that house classrooms for Sunday school, various rooms for ministries and even a gym for youth recreation.  Larry Barnes, the youth pastor, showed me into the main building for a peek into the sanctuary which was at once quiet and soothing.  The first object that came to my attention was the organ that is used for music worship as well as a sleek grand piano that looked magnificent.  He was nice enough to have the lights turned on for me to take better pictures although, it being a sunny day, there was enough natural light streaming in through the windows to lend a cheerful air to the church, which, with white-painted walls and ceilings, had a bright aspect to it in the first place.  Even the pews are painted white.

One aspect that you can immediately notice about the interior is the lack of ornamental depictions, or icons, that you find in Catholic and liturgical Protestant churches, such as Episcopalian or Lutheran.  The windows were also not garnished with stained glass although some Baptist churches do feature stained glass.  Baptists trace their origin to the 17th century when, like the English Separatists who broke away from the Puritans who tried to reform the Anglican Church of England, a pastor named John Smyth started a new church of his own in exile in Amsterdam.  Roger Williams and John Clarke brought the Baptist church to the New World.  Their churches tend to be pristine and simple in their design, much like the early Puritan churches of New England.

I was able to go up into the loft where Mr. Barnes informed me that the sound and projection crew works since the choir is seated behind the pulpit at the very front of the congregation.  It was a very clean and sharp view of the sanctuary, and you can imagine what a service full of people must be like with the organ or piano playing and filling the room with great acoustics.  A large screen hanging on the back wall would be able to provide the lyrics to a song or highlight important points of the pastor's sermon for even members sitting at the very back.

The front of the building, the facade, is what has always fascinated me...although it's not too imposing a structure that fits very modestly into the neighborhood, unlike the towering cathedrals of the Middle Ages that dwarfed their towns and villages, the slightly revivalist Greek architectural appearance is made apparent by the columns supporting a pediment with an arched bull's eye window.

The church recently celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and memories of various members from all over the country who once had worshiped there were collected and encased in a single book, of which I received a copy.  People shared their fond memories of once gracing the pews and listening to music and messages enshrined within the walls of a very elegant building in its own right.  Many of these people who moved far and away came back to celebrate the anniversary.  One woman wrote of a difficult time when her husband was sick and eventually died..."Each time we brought him home from the hospital, we were gifted with food, phone calls, cards and lots of love...I couldn't help but shed tears of joy for all the care and concern given me and my family.  Talk about Christian love--it was poured out to full and overflowing, time and time again!! And this love continues!!"

Thanks to Deborah and Larry Barnes for granting me access to the sanctuary and some indelible memories.

Scotsdale Baptist Church
10015 Lockerbie Avenue
El Paso, Texas 79925
915-595-2811

Credits:


Baptists-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2011 Scotsdale Baptist Church Golden Anniversary Collection of Memories, retrieved July 5, 2012