Listing of HPCC Pastors

Some of the people in the Hyde Park area of Austin felt the need for a Bible School and church in the new addition which was about two miles north of the main city. Those were the horse and buggy days but an electric street car line also served the addition with a loop that went around the inner area. Mr. M. M. Shipe, who planned the addition, organized the Austin Rapid Transit Company and was very generous to church and social organizations.

These Christian people organized an interdenominational group which met on Sunday afternoons in homes and whatever public places were available. They soon affiliated with Central Christian Church. Mr. Shipe gave a lot on the corner of 39th and Guadalupe for the church building. In 1895, a church was built on this location and dedicated in the fall. Christian ministers and others preached on Sunday afternoons.

On June 2, 1908, seventy-two persons signed a petition organizing Hyde Park Christian Church. A charter for fifty years was received from the state on August 19, 1908, and was renewed in July 1958, with Brother E. H. Yeiser  being the same Notary Public. From the very beginning the church has been self-supporting.

By 1912 we had outgrown the original building. The congregation selected a larger site at 42nd and Avenue D in Hyde Park. The church building was moved there and wings were added on both sides. Classrooms, fellowship hall and kitchen were added later as was a two-story education building. The sanctuary and a new entrance were bricked in.

During the early 50's, it was felt a more modern and larger edifice with adequate available parking was needed. In 1955, approximately 4.3 acres on East 45th Street was purchased. This new location was about one half mile northeast of the old location. After much deliberation and planning a contract was let to Z. D. Yeaton to build the sanctuary, the north and south classroom wings, and the kitchen. This new building was first used on November 15, 1959 and was dedicated on February 23, 1960 with dignitaries of the city and state participating.

In 1968, a contact was let to Arnold Bryant to complete the original plans by adding a chapel, a fellowship hall and the tower. These additions were dedicated on September 8, 1968. Members of the church; men, women and children; put in many hours of tile laying, painting and carpentry. The mortgage was burned in May 1982.

In September 1993, the church celebrated its 85th year as a Disciples of Christ church and its 99th year of ministry in the Hyde Park area. Several classrooms were remodeled in the mid 90's and the kitchen went through a major overhaul in 1996.

In 2001, Hyde Park Christian Church became the host and sponsor for a newly-formed Korean-language congregation which meets on Sunday afternoons.

Return to Top

Pastors of Hyde Park Christian Church

Return to Top