James Huckins arrived in Texas in 1839. By April of 1841, he would become the chartering pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church, which has grown from its initial twenty-three founders to an attendance in the thousands. Huckins played a pivotal role not only in the formation of that early church community but in the advancement of the Baptist cause throughout Texas, including the founding of Baylor University. In this volume, Eugene W. Baker tells the story of this underrecognized missionary and the unique impact his simple, gospel-centered life had on the development of a premier institution of Christian higher education.