Cedar Grove Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Cedar Grove Baptist Church, over in Panola County. Now, settle in, because this story goes back a good long while. Soon after the Civil War, settlers put down roots in this corner of East Texas and built themselves a community.

They named it Snap, after a physician and early resident by the name of Snap Cariker. Not every town gets named after its doctor, but there you have it. Snap, Texas.

And Snap had a church life brewing. On May 14, 1905, several members of what folks called Six Mile Church gathered together under the leadership of the Reverend W.A. Reagan and organized the Baptist Church of Christ at Old Six Mile Church.

Now, they didn't have their own walls just yet. They kept right on meeting in the facilities of their former congregation, which took a certain kind of patience and grace, and they had both. Plans for their own sanctuary didn't take shape until 1911.

And right around that same time, the members decided the name needed changing too. They called it the Cedar Grove Baptist Church of Christ, and come 1912 they dedicated that new sanctuary and got a Sunday school program up and running. Four years later, the congregation affiliated with the Panola County Baptist Association.

Within a few more years, the name trimmed down to what most folks know it as today, Cedar Grove Baptist Church. Preachers from nearby towns came out to lead services once a month, and the largely agricultural community of Snap was doing well enough to support several businesses. Then came World War II, and after that the population of Snap slowly declined, the way small communities sometimes do when the wider world calls folks away.

But here is the thing about Cedar Grove. The community around it may have thinned, yet the church kept growin'. Right through the twentieth century it grew.

By 1951 the congregation had established a full-time pastorate and moved to conducting services twice monthly. They built new facilities to keep pace with their programs, women's groups, men's groups, youth service and study groups, annual vacation Bible school. The whole fabric of a congregation woven tight over the decades.

And more than one hundred years after those founding members first met together under Reverend Reagan's leadership, Cedar Grove Baptist Church was still at it. Still working, still serving, still providing a focal point for the numerous residents in the area. Family-oriented, the marker calls it, and that phrase carries a lot of weight.

Some things outlast the towns they grew up in, and Cedar Grove is proof of that.

What the marker says

Soon after the Civil War, settlers established a community here, naming it Snap after Snap Cariker, a physician and early resident. On May 14, 1905, several members of what was known as Six Mile Church met under the leadership of the Rev. W.A. Reagan and organized the Baptist Church of Christ at Old Six Mile Church. They continued meeting in the facilties of their former congregation until making plans to build their own sanctuary in 1911. At that same time, members changed the congregational name to Cedar Grove Baptist Church of Christ, dedicating a new sanctuary in 1912 and establishing a Sunday school program. Four years later,the congregation became affiliated with the Panola County Baptist Association, and within a few more years it became known simply as Cedar Grove Baptist Church. The church later affiliated with other area associations, and preachers from nearby towns led services once a month. The largely agricultural community of Snap supported several businesses until World War II, after which its population slowly declined. The church, however, continued to grow throughout the 20th century, eventually conducting services twice monthly and in 1951 establishing a full-time pastorate. The congregation supported numerous programs during its first century, including women's, men's and youth service and study groups, and annual vacation Bible school. Continuing to grow, the congregation also continued to build new facilities for its various programs. More than one hundred years after its founding members first met as a congregation, Cedar Grove Baptist Church continues its work and service. Family-oriented, the church provides a focal point for the numerous residents in the area. (2005)