Julian Gornto Collection

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Joyce Gornto Cotharn donated material from her parent's files concerning Advent Christian churches in Tarrant County. Her father, Julian Gornto, was the pastor of a southside church known as Hemphill Community Church and Southside Advent Christian Church. It was located at 3900 College Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas. Pastor Gornto had a close relationship with other Advent Christian churches in the area. Additional churches mentioned in the collection include Riverside Advent Christian Church on North Riverside Drive as well as Pleasant Hill Advent Christian Church in Grapevine (now in the Southlake area) where Hemphill Community Church's annual business conference and Camp Texas (a youth camp) took place.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The collection consists of a binder of materials that pertain to Tarrant County Advent Christian churches compiled by Julian Gornto. It contains items related to the churches' histories, administration, events, members, and Advent Christian soldiers enlisted during World War II. The materials are dated 1946 to 1990 and include correspondence, photographs, history essays, articles of incorporation / constitutions, and meeting minutes. 

The binder was divided into the following topics with associated materials: 

• Advent Christian Church, Southside Fort Worth - essay about the church's history, book excerpt, timeline, correspondence, and photographs
• Pleasant Hill Advent Christian Church, Grapevine - book excerpt, copies of photographs, and a map showing the location of the church
• Texas Advent Christian Conference, 1964 - incorporation records, meeting minutes
• Radio Evangelistic Association - the association's Constitution