Little Hope Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the voice carryin' it down the road. Out here in Van Zandt County, there's a church with a name that sounds like it barely made it, and a history that proves otherwise. Little Hope Baptist Church.

Now that name might give you pause, but the story behind it is anything but hesitant. This congregation got itself organized in 1893, and from the very first, these folks were not the type to sit still. Before they had a building of their own, they gathered at the Farmers Alliance Hall.

Borrowed space, but their own conviction. Then in 1894, they built their first sanctuary. One year from organized to standing under their own roof.

That's not little hope, friends. That's a running start. Then in 1896, a man named Louis Manuel Parsons deeded over two acres to the church, and that deed included the newly constructed building itself.

Two acres and a sanctuary, handed over. The congregation settled in and kept going. By 1916 they had outgrown what they built, so up went a second sanctuary.

That one served its purpose too, until 1954, when a third church building replaced it. And still they weren't done. In 1981, a new facility with an auditorium and a baptistry was dedicated right here on that same ground.

From borrowed hall in 1893 to a dedicated facility in 1981, this congregation kept building, kept reaching, kept helping community members in need, and kept supporting missionary and outreach work beyond their own walls. Little Hope Baptist Church. The name might make you smile.

The record makes you straighten up and take notice.

What the marker says

This church was organized in 1893. The congregation met at the Farmers Alliance Hall before building their first sanctuary in 1894. Louis Manuel Parsons deeded over two acres, which included the newly constructed building, to the church in 1896. A second sanctuary was built in 1916 and replaced by a third church building in 1954. A new facility containing an auditorium and baptistry was dedicated here in 1981. This congregation continues its long tradition of helping community members in need and supports various missionary and outreach activities. (1993)