Church services in Red River were once held in the log school and later in the Community House. The first purpose-built church (1955) was St. Edwin's Catholic Church, on Silver Bell Trail. Mass is still held there weekly. Faith Mountain Fellowship (non-denominational), at the corner of Copper King Trail and River Street, was built in the 1990s. The First Baptist Church of Red River, located on the west side of town, is celebrating its one year anniversary and Joe and Karen Phillips couldn't be happier.
It's been a year since Karen, a native of New Jersey, and St. Louis born Joe came to Red River. They spent 10 years in Washington D.C. where Joe first assisted a Missouri Congressman before working for the National Rifle Association, initially as a lobbyist, then as Director of National Affairs.
Joe received the call and the Phillips family moved to Ft. Worth where Joe graduated from Southwest Baptist Seminary in 2000. While in Ft Worth, Joe and Karen were active in the church -- Karen as a inner city youth minister and Joe acting as interim pastor, among other duties. They loved the people of Ft. Worth, but both knew that their destiny lay elsewhere.
"People would ask 'What is your heart's desire?' I'd tell them 'I'd like to be in a ministry on the edge of a wilderness.' But I could never figure our how there were people involved with that. God just worked it out. We wanted to be out west."
Karen is also the School Administrator and supervisor of Special Ed at the Red River Valley Charter School.
Joe and Karen agree: "There is such a thing as the Red River personality. Strong people here. Good people."