New Cherry Grove Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about New Cherry Grove Baptist Church in Jasper County. Now settle in, because this church has moved around more than most folks change their minds, and every time it landed somewhere new, it just kept right on going. Back in 1889, there was a congregation meeting at a place called Hickory Grove School and Church, sitting on the west bank of Cow Bayou.

And Cow Bayou, bless its heart, had a habit of flooding and blocking folks from getting to services. So the congregation made a decision: relocate to a more accessible spot. The marker allows that the church may have existed even before that move, but the written record picks up right there in 1889, with that relocation.

Now at the new site, the foliage caught somebody's eye, and the building was named Cherry Grove School and Church. A fresh name for a fresh start. But the movin' wasn't done.

In 1900, the Cherry Grove structure was moved again, just a short distance away. Then came something that changed the whole picture out there in southeastern Jasper County: the Orange and Northwestern Railway arrived, and in its wake rose the community of Gist. With a community forming right there, it only made sense, and the marker says as much, that Cherry Grove School and Church would relocate to Gist in 1909.

Then in 1916, two Baptist churches in Gist decided to combine their congregations. When they came together, that new combined church took the name New Cherry Grove Baptist Church. The congregation kept growing, and growth calls for space, so the old Cherry Grove building was moved once more, this time to a site at the corner of State Highway 62 and Gist Road, now known as County Road 826.

The first sermon was preached at that location in June of 1923. Changes have been made to the church plan through the years to better serve the congregation, and through all of it, community outreach has been a cornerstone. The church building itself has served as a Jasper County polling site since at least 1889.

The congregation maintains a benevolent fund to assist both church members and community members in need, and they support local charities and foreign missions too. From Hickory Grove on the banks of a flooding bayou, through name changes and moves and a merging of congregations, New Cherry Grove Baptist Church has been a steady presence in the lives of the people of southeastern Jasper County. Some things, it turns out, only get stronger every time they move.

What the marker says

NEW CHERRY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH IN 1889, HICKORY GROVE SCHOOL AND CHURCH WAS RELOCATED FROM THE WEST BANK OF COW BAYOU TO A MORE ACCESSIBLE LOCATION THAT WAS NOT BLOCKED DURING PERIODIC FLOODING. THE CHURCH MAY HAVE EXISTED EARLIER, BUT WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION BEGINS WITH THE BUILDING’S 1889 RELOCATION. THE NEW BUILDING WAS NAMED CHERRY GROVE SCHOOL AND CHURCH BECAUSE OF THE FOLIAGE AT THE NEW SITE. THE CHERRY GROVE STRUCTURE WAS MOVED TO ANOTHER SITE A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY IN 1900. THE ARRIVAL OF THE ORANGE AND NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY AND THE SUBSEQUENT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMUNITY OF GIST MADE IT LOGICAL FOR THE CHERRY GROVE SCHOOL AND CHURCH TO RELOCATE TO GIST IN 1909. WHEN THE TWO BAPTIST CHURCHES IN GIST DECIDED TO COMBINE CONGREGATIONS IN 1916, THE NEW CHURCH BECAME NEW CHERRY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH. THE STEADY GROWTH OF THE CONGREGATION REQUIRED A LARGER CHURCH FACILITY, AND THE OLD CHERRY GROVE BUILDING WAS AGAIN MOVED, TO A SITE AT THE CORNER OF STATE HIGHWAY 62 AND GIST ROAD (NOW COUNTY ROAD 826). THE FIRST SERMON WAS PREACHED AT THIS LOCATION IN JUNE 1923. CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE CHURCH PLAN THROUGH THE YEARS IN ORDER TO BETTER SERVE THE CONGREGATION. COMMUNITY OUTREACH HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF NEW CHERRY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH’S ACTIVITIES SINCE THE CONGREGATION’S FOUNDING. THE CHURCH BUILDING HAS SERVED AS A JASPER COUNTY POLLING SITE SINCE AT LEAST 1889. THE CHURCH MAINTAINS A BENEVOLENT FUND TO ASSIST CHURCH AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN NEED AND ALSO SUPPORTS LOCAL CHARITIES AND FOREIGN MISSIONS. THROUGH SEVERAL CHANGES IN LOCATION AND NAME, NEW CHERRY GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH HAS FAITHFULLY SERVED THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEASTERN JASPER COUNTY. 175 YEARS OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE * 1836-2011