About us.
Our History
In February of 2023, two churches decided that they would be better together. Baptist Temple Church and StadiumView Church decided to merge to become one united congregation. Both churches believed that they could better reach our community if they did it together. After careful consideration and many months of getting to know one another, both churches voted to become one. What a better fitting name for this new congregation than United Baptist Church.
The congregation continued with some of the existing ministries such as drive-up prayer, National Night Out, and football/graduation parking. They also started looking for new ways to invest in the community around the church building and out of that came a new ministry to STEM middle school. The campus was going through a lot of change as STEM and Stroman were merging. There were a lot of new teachers and very little support for them as they got settled in. That is when United decided to adopt the teachers’ lounge and begin providing supplies and support for the teachers and faculty. This ministry has flourished over the past several years and we are excited about the relationships that have been developed.
In early 2025 the congregation decided to move forward with some much-needed renovations. The parking lot was completely redone and expanded to more than 40 spots. Accessible bathrooms and offices were added to the front of the building. The front foyer was expanded, and the audio/visual booth was renovated. These renovations will enable the church to better serve the members of the congregation and the community.
Our Staff and Leadership
Our Staff
Jeremy Prichard
Pastor
Pastor Jeremy was born and raised in the Victoria area and knows the community well. He served as youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Lolita for seven years and served as director of our local Baptist Student Ministry (BSM Victoria) for 1 year. In May of 2020, he graduated with his Masters of Theological Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has a BBA with a concentration in marketing from UHV. Jeremy was the pastor of Baptist Temple Church in Victoria from September 2020 until February 2023. It merged with StadiumView at that time and became United Baptist Church of Victoria where he is the lead pastor.Mike Garrett
Associate Pastor
Pastor Mike answered the call to pastoral ministry later in life. After answering the call, he served as pastor of StadiumView church for 10 years. When they decided to merge with Baptist Temple and become one, he moved into the position of Associate Pastor of Missions and Ministry. He has a heart for international missions and a love for our local community.Upuia Ma'ava
Music Leader
Upuia has been serving in churches for most of his life. From participating in choir at congregational churches in New Zealand to serving for over 10 years at Iglesia Familia de FE. We are excited to have him as our Music Leader!Melanie Elkins
Administrative Assistant
In 2019, Melanie became the administrative assistant for Baptist Temple Church. When the two churches merged, she moved into the position for the new church.Other Leaders Within the Church
We have committees within the church. Committee members must be members of United Baptist Church.
There are also Teams. Anyone coming to church can be on a team. Team leaders have to be church members.
Deacons
Bo Tillery - Head
Kenneth Ballard
LeRoy Davis
Finance Committee Head
Judy James
Personnel Committee Head
George Isaac
Missions Committee Head
Pastor Mike Garrett
Building & Grounds Team Leader
David James
We help keep the building and grounds safe, nice, neat, and everything in working order.
Fellowship Team Leader
Lydia Garrett
We are in charge of our fellowships and get-togethers.
In-reach Team Leaders
Dawn Gaud & Kay Johnson
We come up with ways to reach out to our church members .
Outreach Team Leaders
Reda Bagnall & Alice Cockrell
We organize and come up with ideas to reach those outside of our church in our community.
STEM Team
Winona Klacman
We work with STEM middle school as a ministry to the staff and students.
Prayer Team
Pastor Jeremy Prichard
We keep the prayer list updated and do things to encourage and enrich the prayer life of our members.
Safety Team
Louis Tuttle
We try to make sure the church inside and out is safe for those here.
Affilliations
State Convention: Texas Baptists (BGCT)