Cottonwood Church of Christ, Wylie Texas

History of the Cottonwood Church dates back to 1866. The old record book of the church’s earliest history has ended up in the care of the Wylie Christian Church.

The following information was found in the 1866 record book, "State of Texas, County of Kaufman, (now Rockwall County) the undersigned met together on the fourth Lord’s day in July 1866 at a school house known as Skaggs School in afore said county and agreed to accept the Bible as the only Revelation God has given to man; and also to accept the last Will and Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ as the only rule of faith and practice; and do promise and covenant with each other that we will as the church of Christ conform our lives to its teaching and that we will spurn and avoid all human creeds, parties and names in our practice as given by divine authority."

The church selected officers as follows:

R. B. Skaggs and I. W. Lacy as elders and L. J. Ballard and J. L. Wells as deacons.

They were then set apart by prayer and the laying on of hands by presbyters D. C. Johnson and John King.

Both R. B. Skaggs and J. L. Wells departed this life in the Fall of 1867 and it became necessary to fill their places. In September 1868 the church met near Well’s Bridge and elected Samuel King, Elisha Sims (Cottonwood area) and Thomas J. McClain (Pleasant Valley) to serve as Elders and Michael Coyle (Rowlett area) to serve as Deacon. The Church proceeded to fasting and prayers with the imposition of hands by the presbyters to solemnly set apart the elected to the work for which they were chosen.

The Church of Christ, now known as the Cottonwood Church, met on the second Lord’s day in January 1876 for the purpose of more fully organizing as Michael Coyle was excluded and L. J. Ballard (Rockwall County) had neglected the assembling.

The church now had no deacons. The members present selected James Russell (Wylie) and R. J. Harper (in-law of Russell) as deacons and S. P. Brown (Pleasant Valley) as elder to serve with the existing elders.

It became necessary to reorganize in 1883 due to the removal of Samuel King and the deaths of Alfred Tucker and Peter Kuykendall who were elders as well as the removal of R. J. Harper, Deacon. S. P. Brown asked to be excused from the eldership.

At the reorganization, J. W. Thompson, H. A. Pridgen (Pleasant Valley), and William A. Bowman (Cottonwood) were selected to serve with Elisha Sims (Cottonwood) and T. J. McClain as elders with W. J. "Tom" Brown (Pleasant Valley) and W. T. "Billy" Sims (Cottonwood) being appointed as Deacons. Tom Brown and Billy Sims would later serve with James Russell as Elders.

J. Ben Faulkner would serve as Minister from 1883 until 1887.

It was sometime around 1887 when elder Brown and deacon Brooks brought a piano into the worship service after a "singing school". This caused the congregation to split and the minister, along with T. J. McClain and several other members and leaders moved to meeting at the home of James "Jimmy" Russell where they then formed the Wylie Christian Church.

The Cottonwood Church of Christ continued to meet in the old building located near Vinson and Whitely Road until a newer air-conditioned building was erected in 1958 at Elm Grove and Whitley Roads.

The church now meets in a new 13000 square building about 100 yards west of the previous building. This new building was completed in August 2003.

This church is the second oldest Church of Christ in the state of Texas. With the first meeting being held on Sunday, July 22, 1866.

(History provided by Carl Foster and edited by Jim Foster)