DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of the official marker for Zion Missionary Baptist Church, standing in the Lake Como community of Fort Worth, Tarrant County. Now, some buildings just hold people. And then there are buildings that hold a community together.
This is the story of one of those. Zion Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1919, rooted in the African American community of Lake Como in Fort Worth. Four years later, in 1923, the congregation raised up this very building — built it themselves, brick by brick in spirit if not always in fact.
And that same year, 1923, a man named Reverend G. W. Burton stepped into the pulpit.
Here's where the story gets interesting. He didn't step back out for a good long while. Reverend Burton's pastorate ran from 1923 all the way through 1966.
That's forty-three years, friends. Presidencies came and went. Wars started and ended.
The whole landscape of America shifted underneath everybody's feet. And through all of it, Reverend Burton was right there, and the church grew — grew as a leader in the Lake Como community. When Reverend Burton's long watch finally ended, Reverend J.
W. Briscoe, Sr. took up the work and served the congregation right on through 1992. That's not a footnote.
That's another chapter. Because this church was never just a Sunday morning affair. Over the years, the congregation reached deep into Fort Worth through social, civic, and public involvement.
Members drove the local economy through Lake Como entrepreneurship. And during the Civil Rights era, Zion Missionary Baptist stood as a spiritual leader — one of those places where courage and faith found each other in the same pew. Founded in 1919.
Still standing. Still vital. Some buildings just hold people — and this one never stopped holding a whole community.
What the marker says
Founded in 1919, this church has played an important role in the African American community of Lake Como in Fort Worth. The congregation erected this building in 1923, and that same year, the Rev. G. W. Burton began his long pastorate through 1966, years in which the church grew as a leader in the community. He was followed by the Rev. J. W. Briscoe, Sr., who served until 1992. Over the years, the congregation deeply affected the city through social, civic and public involvement. Members also contributed to the economy through Lake Como entrepreneurship. A spiritual leader in the Civil Rights era, the church today continues to play a vital spiritual role in the community. (2006)