First Baptist Church of Buffalo In 1877, when Buffalo was a young railroad town, 15 people met at the Buffalo Academy and formed a Baptist congregation. The Buffalo Missionary Baptist Church became part of the 35-member Trinity River Baptist Association the next year. In 1939, as part of the Freestone-Leon Association, Texas Baptist General Convention and Southern Baptist Convention, the congregation became first Baptist Church of Buffalo; it called its first full-time pastor in 1940. Eight years later, the congregation built a sanctuary at this site. Through its many years, the church has reached the community with its missions and education and music programs.