Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Houston County. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories that starts small and just keeps on growing.

In 1884, a small group from Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Crockett made a decision. They withdrew from the congregation they knew, and they set out to build something of their own. Under the leadership of the Reverend Raefield Cotton and six deacons, they organized the St.

Paul Missionary Baptist Church. Six deacons. Count them.

That's the whole foundation, right there. They secured land two and a half miles south of the courthouse square, and they put up a small frame building. Named it St.

Paul Baptist Church in 1898. Now a small frame building two and a half miles from town might not sound like much, but what grows inside a congregation, that's another matter entirely. Members started coming in from the surrounding areas.

The circle kept widening. By 1906, the church had moved into a new facility, and this time they were two blocks from the courthouse. Closer to the center of things.

And still the congregation grew. In the early 1920s, they erected a larger structure. Then came 1924, and with it, a name that finally said out loud what everyone already knew.

Because this church wasn't just serving Crockett anymore. It was serving a large area surrounding the whole town. So the name was changed to Greater St.

Paul Baptist Church. Greater. That word wasn't decoration.

It was a statement of fact. And the congregation, all these years on, remains active, carrying on programs of worship and service. What started with one reverend and six deacons in 1884 just kept on being greater.

What the marker says

A small group from Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Crockett withdrew in 1884 to create their own congregation. The St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church was organized under the leadership of the Reverend Raefield Cotton and six deacons. The group secured land two and a half miles south of the courthouse square and erected a small frame building, naming it St. Paul Baptist Church in 1898. As the congregation increased, members came from surrounding areas. In 1906 the church moved into a new facility two blocks from the courthouse. They erected a larger structure in the early 1920s. Because the church served a large area surrounding Crockett, the name was changed to Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in 1924. The congregation remains active with programs of worship and service. (1999)