Community — Nestled within a Rio Hondo neighborhood, Community Church of Rio Hondo is set to celebrate 105 years of sharing the gospel in the small Valley city. (San Benito News/Ray Quiroga)
By TRINA “INDI” JOHNSON
Special to the NEWS
RIO HONDO, TX—Community Church of Rio Hondo is set to celebrate 105 years of service and faith in this small Texas town.
“We are committed to continuing to provide a solid, Bible-based worship experience to our community, and we extend a warm welcome to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ,” said David Brotzman, highlighting a legacy of welcome and faith that has endured for more than a century.
On Sunday, September 21, the congregation will celebrate under the theme “Embracing the Past, Facing the Future,” with city officials scheduled to present a proclamation honoring the church’s deep roots in Rio Hondo.
The story of the church begins with the town itself. “The town of Rio Hondo was founded in 1910,” Brotzman said. As new families arrived, each carried their own denominational traditions. With too few members from any one background to sustain separate churches, the idea arose to form a church that could unite all Christian believers.
“Initially, as there were not enough congregants from any denomination to establish separate churches, the idea arose to form a church which could welcome all Christian believers to worship together without regard to individual denominations.”
Around 1914, worshippers gathered in homes and public buildings, piecing together a congregation from the raw materials of a fledgling town.
“Around 1914, worshippers began meeting in homes or public buildings, and in September of 1920, the church was formally organized and called their first pastor, John Carson,” Brotzman said. The early families laid the framework with their devotion, forming a foundation that would endure for generations.
By 1928, the church acquired property and broke ground on a permanent building. Construction moved steadily, with members contributing their labor and resources to raise walls and raise spirits alike. The first services in the completed structure were held in September 1930, marking ten years since the congregation’s formal organization.
As Rio Hondo grew, so did the church. “Our church members served in many of the affairs of Rio Hondo, including city commissioners, mayors, school board members, teachers and administrators, and business owners. Their efforts were influential in the development of the town. We have always been an integral part of our city, and we still have members whose families go back up to four generations,” Brotzman said.
The congregation became more than a place of worship; it became a cornerstone of civic life, a scaffold for community and leadership.
The church’s impact has stretched beyond city limits. Members support local organizations serving the needy and poor, and back missionary work across the globe.
“We currently support missionary efforts in the Ukraine. We also support the International Seafarers Center at Port Brownsville, and we also support the San Benito Food Pantry. We also support various missionary efforts in Mexico,” Brotzman said, underlining a vision built as sturdily as the church walls themselves.
Challenges tested the congregation’s strength. The hurricane of 1933 and Hurricane Beulah in 1967 inflicted heavy damage, sweeping away records and altering lives.
Members rallied, rebuilding both structure and spirit through tireless labor and unwavering commitment.
Later, shifts in population and COVID restrictions reshaped church life, yet the congregation remained steadfast, continuing to welcome seasonal “Winter Texans” and foster enduring friendships across generations.
Each chapter of the church’s story is etched in effort and devotion. “A number of our members are veterans of our armed forces. They have served with distinction, both in wartime and peacetime, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to them for their unwavering sacrifice in protecting and securing the freedom of our nation,” Brotzman said, acknowledging that the strength of the congregation is built on both faith and service.
Community Church of Rio Hondo is located at 122 Miramar Dr, Rio Hondo. For more information, call the church at (956) 748-2387.
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