Second Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Second Baptist Church in Atascosa County. The year is 1891, and a small group of African American residents from the Pleasanton community gathered together with something serious on their minds. They were going to build a church.

Reverend James Ellis was there. Mrs. Fannie Lamont was there.

Mrs. Lucky Ross was there. Others too.

And when the meeting was done, they had themselves a name for the new congregation: Saint James Baptist Church. Reverend Ellis agreed to serve as its first pastor, and later that same year, church trustees purchased one half acre on East Adams Street from a man named Elias Edmond. That was the ground where something lasting would be built.

Then in 1903, Reverend Hagood took over the pastorate, and he didn't let go for thirty-three years. Thirty-three years. The longest pastorate the congregation had seen since its inception.

Now, the story could have coasted along from there, but it doesn't. In 1950, the church's first structure was demolished to make room for a larger, more modern building. Sounds like progress.

Except construction was delayed. And when things stall, doubt has a way of moving in. Many church members became discouraged, and they left the congregation to worship elsewhere.

That is the kind of sentence that carries real weight. A community anchor, suddenly quiet. But here is where the story turns, because a core group of congregants refused to let it die.

They worked hard to sustain the church. They gathered for worship at a nearby mission church while funds were raised for the new building. They held on.

In 1953, the congregation's name was changed to Second Baptist Church, and that new church facility was dedicated in May of that very year. Around 1957, a former school building was moved onto the property to serve as a parsonage. And the work kept going.

Second Baptist offers several college scholarships each year. Members stay active in Christian Assistance Ministry. The Pleasanton community can still look to that corner of East Adams Street and see what a determined handful of people, meeting together in 1891, set in motion.

The marker calls it a symbol of faith and service, and after everything this congregation walked through, that is exactly what it is.

What the marker says

In 1891, a small group of African American residents from the Pleasanton community met to organize a Baptist church. The meeting was attended by Reverend James Ellis, Mrs. Fannie Lamont, Mrs. Lucky Ross and others. The name Saint James Baptist Church was chosen for the new congregation and Reverend Ellis agreed to serve as the church's first pastor. Later that year, church trustees purchased from Elias Edmond one half acre on East Adams Street for the construction of a church building. In 1903, Reverend Hagood began his thirty-three year pastorate of the congregation, the longest since its inception. The church's first structure was demolished in 1950 in order to make room for a larger, more modern building, but construction was delayed, and many church members became discouraged and left the congregation to worship elsewhere. However, a core group of congregants worked hard to sustain the church. The congregation met for worship at a nearby mission church while funds were raised for the new building. In 1953 the congregation's name was changed to Second Baptist Church, and the new church facility was dedicated in May of that year. A former school building was moved to the property ca. 1957 to be used as a parsonage. Outreach to the community is an important part of church activities. Second Baptist offers several college scholarships each year, and members are active in Christian Assistance Ministry. Today, Second Baptist Church continues to stand as a symbol of faith and service within the Pleasanton community. (2010)