Turning the corner

I started the Mount Carmel blog in September of 2006 "to post information about, discuss, and otherwise look into the old Mount Carmel Baptist Church of Rusk County, Texas." As part of that project I posted most portions from my book, Minutes of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Rusk County, Texas 1867-1871. This will still be a focus of this blog, but I am turning a corner and broadening the purpose of the blog in order to hopefully make it more active.

The purpose of this blog is now broadened to ALL the Baptist churches of Rusk County, Texas -- past and present, dead or alive, SBC, ABA, PB, FWB, or BMA, black, white or hispanic. This ties in to my next historical project -- to gather materials for a history of the Baptists of Rusk County. This is only in the beginning stages. I am preparing lists, questionnaires, mulling over ideas, dividing the county in quadrants and making a few extra drives through the back country to locate meeting places that even I, a lifetime resident, didn't know existed. Baptist organizations such as seminaries, youth camps, and even the Sweetgum Grove Baptist museum will also be included.

But I've got a couple of unfinished projects to finish first, and the bulk of this "all the Baptists of Rusk County" project is still out a year or more ahead, Lord willing. As part of the project, I would like to visit very Baptist church in the county, as well as interview members from every church and community. This may be more than I can handle, but you've got to have goals; right? Tentative lists include 123 living churches and 58 extinct ones.