Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:2

From its earliest days in 1883, Christ Episcopal set a firm foundation for worship grounded by the Book of Common Prayer.  But the service  needed more. Just as railroads pushed the Central Texas farmland into the industrial age in the late 1800s, so music helped to define the Episcopal Church on the frontier.  

Begun in 1883 as a mission of Belton’s mother church, St. Luke’s, the Temple congregation had a wide turnover in membership. Music remained one constant of faith and evangelism.

Among the first furnishings in the original wooden structure on South First Street was a small pump organ. That would become the centerpiece of worship.

By 1889, the women of the church met to hire an organist/choirmaster, J.A. Heatley who had moved to Temple from San Angelo. The Temple Times newspaper referred to him as “professor,” a title used to describe teachers of all levels.

“In a very short time, the beautiful and impressive service of the Episcopal church will be rendered in all its glory and beauty,” the Times reported.

Describing him as  “a polished gentleman” who is a great addition to the church, the Times also reported he quickly organized a choir. 

Pretty soon, Temple newspapers advertised Christ Church’s services, but the emphasis was not so much on the priest’s sermon; each week the newspapers touted the music to be played – high church, classical, rooted deep in Anglican hymnody.

Thus, Christ Church flourished in liturgy and song with sounds uncommon on the blackland prairie.

Patty Benoit

Photo credit: Denny Müller on Unsplash

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