St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to give it the telling it deserves. In 1867, in the Cedar Lake Community, African Americans came together and organized St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

They had help from Rev. Israel Campbell, and they appointed Rev. Dennis Gray as the first pastor.

Now picture that congregation in those early years. No grand building, no steeple catching the light. They met in log cabins.

Sometimes, when the walls couldn't hold them, they gathered under a tent. That's faith doing the work before the building ever showed up. And they kept at it.

They kept at it for years. Then, in 1873, a man named Christopher Higgins donated two acres of land to the church. Two acres.

The Freedmen's Bureau stepped in with some building materials, and the community put up a permanent structure for worship. But here's the part that ought to stop you in your tracks. That same building, that house of worship, also became the first school for Black children within the community.

One roof holding two of the most powerful things a free people can have. Prayer, and learning. A portion of that land Higgins donated still serves as a cemetery, holding church members and community members alike, generation after generation.

And St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church? It has persevered for more than a hundred and fifty years.

Still standing. Still working to improve prospects for present and future generations. Some things you build out of log and canvas and borrowed lumber, and they end up lasting longer than anybody dared to hope.

What the marker says

In 1867, African Americans in the Cedar Lake Community organized St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church with help from Rev. Israel Campbell. Rev. Dennis Gray was appointed the first pastor. The church met in log cabins and sometimes under a tent until 1873, when Christopher Higgins donated two acres to the church. The Freedmen's Bureau supplied some building materials, allowing the community to build a permanent structure for worship which also served as the first school for blacks within the community. A portion of that land serves as a cemetery for church and community members. For more than 150 years, St. Paul has persevered, continuing today to provide a strong presence working to improve prospects for present and future generations. (2019)