First Baptist Church of Malakoff

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, as best as Duane can carry the tale. The St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad built a line right through Malakoff in 1880, and once that iron track was laid, everything that followed had a spine to grow along.

Three years later, in 1883, a Union church organized by the Reverend Hezekiah Mitcham relocated to a site near that very railroad. Now, this was a church that served both Baptists and Methodists under one roof, which, if you know anything about the strength of denominational conviction in Texas, you already sense where this is headed. According to local legend, differences within that church established by Mitcham resulted in thirty-six of its members breaking off to establish their own congregation in 1884.

They called themselves, with full seriousness and no shortage of intention, the Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. Thirty-six people. That is not a crowd.

That is a determined gathering. Early in 1885 they erected a church building on a town lot owned by W. L.

Evans, and by 1891 they had organized a Sunday School. That first sanctuary did more than host worship. It served as a community center and provided classroom space on a temporary basis, which tells you something about what a church building meant to a small Texas town.

In 1894 they erected a new sanctuary at this very site, on land donated by W. A. Martin of Missouri.

The congregation kept growin. By 1917 membership had reached 152, and the very next year, 1918, a new frame church building went up right here. Then in 1925 the congregation established a Hispanic mission, reachin beyond its own walls in a way those original thirty-six members may or may not have envisioned.

The 1918 frame building eventually gave way to a new brick sanctuary in 1954. And the work kept right on going. A parsonage added in 1964.

An education building in 1971. An auditorium in 1982. Homes for a Hispanic mission in 1990.

What started with thirty-six people and a disagreement became, decade by decade, something far larger than any one of them could have built alone. The marker notes the church continues to serve the community with various programs and activities. Some things, once planted with that much conviction, just don't stop growing.

What the marker says

The St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad built a line through Malakoff in 1880. In 1883 a Union church organized by the Reverend Hezekiah Mitcham, which served both Baptist and Methodists, relocated to a site near the railroad. According to local legend, denominational differences which occurred within the church established by Mitcham resulted in thirty-six of its members establishing this Baptist church in 1884. They called themselves the Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. A church building was erected in early 1885 on a town lot owned by W. L. Evans and in 1891 a Sunday School was organized. The sanctuary also served as a community center and provided classroom space on a temporary basis. A new sanctuary was erected at this site in 1894 on land donated by W. A. Martin of Missouri. Membership in the congregation had grown to 152 by 1917, and in 1918 a new frame church building was erected here. The congregation established a Hispanic mission in 1925. The 1918 church building was replaced with a new brick sanctuary in 1954. The congregation added a parsonage in 1964, an education building in 1971, an auditorium in 1982 and homes for a Hispanic mission in 1990. The church continues to serve the community with various programs and activities. (1995)