DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, picture Slaton, Texas — a city that didn't even exist until 1911, when the Santa Fe Railway brought it into being and folks started pouring in fast. Real fast.
And with that rapid growth came something else, something darker: increasingly tense racial relations. That's the world this story is born into. So hold onto that.
Because what comes next is something worth remembering. In the late 1920s, in the home of a woman known simply as 'Sister' Mecca Davis, a small group of people gathered with a purpose. They were organizing a church.
Not just any church — what would become the second historically African American church established in Slaton. And on October 19, 1929 — you might recognize that date as one of the most turbulent moments in American financial history, though the marker doesn't dwell on that — Triumph Missionary Baptist Church was formally founded, with its eyes fixed on community outreach and spiritual togetherness. Providing hope.
That was the mission. In January of 1930, the Reverend J.L. Mann stepped in as pastor, and the congregation kept on growin'.
Early on, services were held in homes — same as the church itself had been born in a home. Then the congregation moved to the African American Evans School. They were building something, even without a building of their own.
Then came 1932, and here's a detail the marker wants you to sit with for a second: a Lithuanian Jewish refugee by the name of Abe Kessel donated a house to the church. A man who knew something about displacement, about finding yourself somewhere new and uncertain, reached across and gave Triumph Missionary Baptist Church a home. That house became the center of the church as it expanded, and later a building was added to the west side of the existing facility.
The congregation kept growing, kept reaching. Notable members along the way include the Reverend Anderson, a woman known as 'Sis' Rebecca White, and the Reverend M.A. Brown — and that last name, you'll want to remember it.
Church members believe that in 1949, when a women's mission was formed, the word 'missionary' was added to the church's title itself. The name caught up to the calling. Now, the marker is plain about the discrimination this congregation faced.
Called a 'colored church' by those who meant it as a limitation, Triumph responded by doing the opposite of shrinking. Vacation bible schools. Jamborees.
Choir performances. They opened the doors wider. In 1965, the Reverend M.A.
Brown promoted and held the first 'federational choir singing' — his hope being to create what he called a 'spiritual fellowship,' banding several churches in the community together in one voice. And then in 1968, the Slaton neighborhood improvement council organized, and they elected the Reverend M.A. Brown as its chairman.
A congregation that had once gathered quietly in Sister Mecca Davis's house was now shaping the civic life of the whole community. They called it Triumph. Turns out, that wasn't just a name.
What the marker says
In the late 1920s in the house of “Sister” Mecca Davis, Triumph Missionary Baptist Church organized as the second historically African American church established in Slaton. The city, created in 1911 by the Santa Fe Railway, experienced rapid growth, accompanied by increasingly tense racial relations. On October 19, 1929, Triumph Missionary Baptist Church formed with a focus on community outreach and spiritual togetherness, seeking to provide hope to its community. In January 1930, the Reverend J.L. Mann became pastor. Other notable members throughout the church’s history include the Reverend Anderson, “Sis” Rebecca White and the Reverend M.A. Brown. Early church services were held in homes, and soon the congregation moved to the African American Evans School. In 1932, Lithuanian Jewish refugee Abe Kessel donated a house to the church. This home would serve as the center of the church as it expanded. Later, a building was added to the west side of the existing facility. It is believed by church members that the name “missionary” was added to the church’s title in 1949 when a women’s mission was formed. Despite the discrimination it faced as a “colored church,” Triumph Missionary Baptist Church made efforts to include the entire community. Triumph hosted vacation bible schools, jamborees, and choir performances. In 1965, the first “federational choir singing” was held and promoted by the Rev. Brown, who hoped to create a “spiritual fellowship” by banding together several churches in the community. In 1968, the Slaton neighborhood improvement council organized and elected the Rev. M. A. Brown as its chairman, a testament to the church’s impact on its community. (2023)