Galilee Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Harris County. Now settle in, because this story starts with raw land and ends with a street that bears a pastor's name. That's the kind of arc worth following.

The community of Acres Homes, sometimes spelled just Acre Homes, got its start in 1910, when the Wright Land Company began developing the area. The company sold plots at low prices, putting land ownership within reach for many families. By the 1930s, a large majority of the people living in that neighborhood were African American, and in the decades that followed, Acres Homes saw significant population and business growth.

That's the soil this story grows from. Now, back in 1913, the Rev. D.

Hartman organized Galilee Missionary Baptist Church. No grand sanctuary, no stained glass. Services were held under a brush arbor.

Just sky, shade, and the faithful gathered together. Two years later, by 1915, the Wright Land Company sold land at the church's current site to church trustees, and the members got to work building something more permanent. The congregation kept building, in every sense of the word.

Under the leadership of the Rev. Jack C. Smith, members formed many auxiliaries and held traditional events, Juneteenth celebrations, homecoming, the church's anniversary.

The kind of gatherings that stitch a community together year after year. Then came the Rev. D.S.

Bailey. He served as pastor from 1947 until his death in 1977, and under his leadership the church experienced what the marker calls tremendous growth. Bailey worked alongside community, political, school, and business leaders throughout Acres Homes during his tenure.

The people of Houston took note. In 1979, the city passed an ordinance changing the name of Sherwin Street, the very street the church stands on, to D.S. Bailey Lane.

As membership continued to grow over the years, the church rebuilt several times. The largest of those efforts produced a new sanctuary completed in 2003. A brush arbor in 1913.

A sanctuary in 2003. Galilee Missionary Baptist Church is still there, the marker tells us, an important community institution, unifying and serving the residents of Acres Homes and the surrounding areas. Some things, it turns out, you just keep building.

What the marker says

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church is located in the community of Acres (Acre) Homes, developed beginning in 1910 by the Wright Land Company. The company sold plots of land for low prices, making it affordable for many families. By the 1930s, a large majority of those living in the neighborhood were African American. In the following decades, Acres Homes experienced significant population and business growth. The Rev. D. Hartman organized Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in 1913, with services held under a brush arbor. By 1915, the Wright Land Company sold land located at the church’s current site to church trustees, and members began construction of a new building. In the following years, under the leadership of the Rev. Jack C. Smith, members formed many auxiliaries and held traditional events such as Juneteenth celebrations, homecoming and the church’s anniversary. The Rev. D.S. Bailey served as pastor of the church from 1947 until his death in 1977, and under his leadership the church experienced tremendous growth. Bailey worked with community, political, school and business leaders in Acres Homes during his tenure. In 1979, the city of Houston passed an ordinance changing the name of Sherwin Street, on which the church is located, to D.S. Bailey Lane. As membership grew over the years, the church rebuilt several times, including a large sanctuary constructed in 2003. Galilee Missionary Baptist Church remains an important community institution, unifying and serving the residents of Acres Homes and surrounding areas. (2006)