Wood County History

By LOU MALLORY — Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission

St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Mineola   5-13-06

Today, St. Paul Baptist will dedicate a historical marker at the church in Mineola.

This area of northeast Texas was not extensively settled until after the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836.

This East Texas timbered region was originally part of the large Nacogdoches County that was later divided by the Texas legislature. Present day Wood County was a part of Van Zandt County until the state legislature demarked and created Wood County on February 5th, 1850. The county was named for George T. Wood, a Georgia native who was elected the second governor of Texas in 1847.

The railroad is responsible for much of the initial growth and development in the county. In 1873, Jay Gould’s Texas and Pacific Railway line, reaching from the east coast to the west coast, ran through southern Wood County. This caused a small rural community called Sodom, later renamed Mineola, to spring to life and grow and prosper along with the railroad.

In 1871, in the community that would later become Mineola, the St. Paul Baptist Church was founded by the Reverend John Branham. He called together several people to organize a church of one accord, wherein one could serve the Lord with whole heart and mind. These persons were Mandy Hall, Mariah Lee, Mary Garrett, Ellis Lee, Willis Oliver and Betty Brooks.

Ellis Lee and Willis Oliver were ordained as the first deacons. The church was located in the south part of Mineola, about three blocks south of its present location, Stone and West Front Streets.

In 1897, land was acquired by the church from J.L. Moore to J.A. Stinson from J.A. Stinson, Abstract No. 655A, Volume U, pg. 40. The land was conveyed to Deacons Columbus Davis, Frank Johnson and Willis Oliphant on October 10th, 1897. This tract of land is the present location on the church, at the corner of Front and Stone Streets. The abstract was updated when the current brick structure was erected.

The first church was built on what is now the corner of Harris and Stone Streets. It remained in that location for 26 years. In 1897, after the acquisition of the land mentioned above, a new church was built at that location, lot 6A and 6B in Block E.

According to oral history, the first church building, located at Stone and Front Streets, was built by Wiley Chunk Walton, church members and others in the community. During the construction of the church building, the ladies of the church cooked and provided food for the carpenters and others working on the project.

Seventeen ministers and six associate pastors have served the church. Each has contributed to the growth and ministry of the church during the last 133 years. A partial list of the ministers includes Rev. John Branham, who organized the church, Rev. Joel, Rev. Chatham, Rev. Mall Mitchell, the Reverends J.L. Griffin, W.T. Bartley, R.T. Taylor, J.R. Shelton, Rev. R.B. Francis, T.B. Johnson, T.T. Newman, S.J. Vincent, Lawrence W. Pryor, and the Rev. C.C. Colquitt who served for over 41 years until his health started to fail. From that time until his death, he served as Pastor Emeritus.

Those who served as associate pastors were the Reverends A.J. Avery, Johnny Brown, Fred Bagsby, R.A. Clark, Wren Foster, and Rev. Raymond Williams who also served as interim pastor from June 1st, 1997 to December 27th, 2000.

All of the above named pastors were outstanding in the field of missions and education. Among the above pastors were two moderators, several trustees of Butler College in Tyler, and one who was president of the District Convention.

In 1949, as stated in the souvenir program, members of the Deacon Board were as follows: W.M. Tuck, A. Adams, W.M. Hall, H.R. Jones, Shaw Stevens, John Mahomes, James Hunter, Alford Brinkley, and Samuel Bryant. The Trustee Board members were Shaw Stevens, W.M. Hall, A.J. Avery, Dallas Davis, Julius Potts, Roy Wright, and W.M. Tuck. Miss Lillian Hall served as church clerk and Mr. Sam Cleveland as membership clerk.

During the 1990s, two pastors, Rev. William DeLeon McNealy and Rev. James L. Lister served St. Paul Baptist. During this period, the membership of the church increased significantly. New members joined and many members who had not attended for a period of time returned to renew their fellowship.

While serving the spiritual needs of the black community in Mineola, the church has grown and prospered. The church celebrated the burning of the church note in 1958 and the laying of the church cornerstone in 1971. Also, in that same year, the church sold china plates with a picture of the church to mark and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of this church and its service to the community. The congregation also prepared for the Wood County centennial celebration.

In June 1993, the church held a “Breaking of the Ground ceremony” which initiated construction of the fellowship hall. This was completed in September of 1993. Deacon Hardy Grant spearheaded and financed the funding and building of the hall. In 1994, the church reunited with the East Texas Baptist Association and attended the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

The Willing Workers Circle installed chandeliers both in the church and the fellowship hall in 1995 and members pledged to sponsor chairs and tables for the hall. The mural was replaced in front of the church in November of 2000.

The church bus was sold in 2000 and another was purchased in 2002. The building fund and membership pledges paid the debt in full for the fellowship hall. A ceremony, “Burning the Bank Note”, was held on April 29th 2001.

The church members recognize that the spiritual well being of the membership and the community it serves is at the forefront of the mission of the church. The church’s mission, goal and objective is to lift up the name of God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and to promote excellence in the area of Christianity and saving souls.

In the year 2002, a church health ministry was implemented. It consists of approximately 12 church members who assist with the sick and shut-ins. The deacons of the church are assigned to individual and family members to assist with basic needs of the church members.

Currently, St. Paul Baptist Church has many activities and auxiliaries. Among these are the Benevolent Committee, Busy Bee, Louisa Davis, Ruth and Willing Circle, as well as Adult and Youth Usher Boards. Other boards include the deacon and deaconess board, the general missionary society, Mother’s Board, Pastor’s Supplement Board, Trustee Board, and the Youth Department Drill Team, organized in 1994.

The church also has five choirs: the Children’s Choir, the Male Chorus, the Youth Choir, the Mission Choir and the Sanctuary Choir, formerly known as the Mission Chorus and Senior Choir.

This church and its members have served the needs of its members and others in the Mineola area for over 130 years. St. Paul Baptist Church is one the oldest churches in Wood County. It has made significant contributions to the history of Mineola and Wood County.