St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Harris County. Now settle in, because this story starts before we even have a starting point.

The congregation itself predates the purchase of this lot in 1902. That means before there was ever a deed signed, before there was ever an address, there was already a church. Already a people.

The first known pastor was Reverend Elijah Crooms, and under his watch — or somewhere close to it — the members of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church were meeting under a brush arbor. Open sky, dappled shade, the Texas air sitting heavy around them.

That was their sanctuary. Now, you might think that's a humble beginning, but consider what it takes to keep a congregation together with nothing but branches overhead. That is not a small thing.

That is faith doing the heavy lifting. Then 1918 arrives, and they built their first wooden church — and they did not build it plain. Twin bell towers.

Twin. And a special seating area set aside just for the children. Somebody thought about the little ones, and made sure they had a place.

For baptisms, the congregation turned to Buffalo Bayou, just nearby, and that's where the waters did their work — until the 1950s, when a baptismal pool was added to the church along with other improvements. The building that carried all those memories, all those Sunday mornings and soaking-wet baptism days, was eventually demolished. And in 1965, a new church was dedicated.

New walls, new roof, but the same root going all the way back past 1902. The new chapter brought new programs too — a radio show carried the word out over the airwaves, and a bus brought members right to the door who might not have made it otherwise. New membership followed.

More than a century of social and economic change has rolled through Harris County, and St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church has stood through all of it. The marker calls it a beacon in the community, and after a story like that, it's hard to argue otherwise.

What the marker says

St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church This African American congregation predates the purchase of this lot in 1902. The first known pastor was Rev. Elijah Crooms. Members met under a brush arbor until the first wooden church, featuring twin bell towers and a special seating area for children, was built in 1918. Baptisms took place in nearby Buffalo Bayou until a baptismal pool was added to the church in the 1950s, along with other improvements. The original building was demolished and a new church was dedicated in 1965. New programs, such as a radio show and a bus to bring members to church, attracted new membership. St. Luke Missionary Baptist church has been a beacon in the community through more than a century of social and economic change. (2013)