Monday, April 02, 2007

Baptist institutions in Rusk County

When we think of Baptists in Rusk County, Texas, we think first of Baptist individuals and Baptist churches. An area we might tend to overlook is the institutions formed by and/or connected to these individuals and churches. Some of the Baptist institutions associated with Rusk County Baptists are:

Institutions
East Texas Baptist Area, Railroad Ave., Mt. Enterprise, TX -- local offices of the Rusk-Panola and Shelby-Doches SBC-related associations

Pine Springs Baptist Encampment, FM 1798, Laneville, TX -- a Missionary Baptist camp owned by the American Baptist Association
Sweetgum Grove Baptist Museum -- a small church history museum owned by the Texas Baptist Institute

Texas Baptist Institute and Seminary, Longview Drive, Henderson, TX -- a Bible college/seminary owned by the Calvary Baptist Church of Henderson and supported by the churches of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas and the ABA
Whispering Pines Free Will Baptist Youth Camp -- a youth encampment owned by the Free Will Baptists

Associations

American Baptist Association
Baptist Bible Fellowship, International
Baptist General Convention of Texas
Baptist Missionary Association of America
Baptist Missionary Association of Texas (BMAA)
Central Baptist Association (formed as the Eastern Texas Association of United Baptists by churches from the Sabine Baptist Association; still active, but no longer in Rusk County)
Cherokee Baptist Association (BMAA; two churches in Rusk County)
East Texas Baptist Convention (extinct; became the BMA of TX)
Judson Baptist Association (extinct)
Little Hope Primitive Baptist Association (Still active, but no longer in Rusk County)

Missionary Baptist Association of Texas (ABA)
Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas (perhaps; have not confirmed churches in Rusk Co.)
Mt. Olive Baptist Association (BMAA; a split from the Mt. Zion Association)
Mt. Zion Baptist Association (ABA; org. 1857)

National Association of Free Will Baptists
National Baptist Convention
Rusk County Baptist Association (org. circa 1901; a split from the Mt. Zion Association; merged with Panola BA to form Rusk-Panola)
Rusk-Panola Baptist Association (SBC)

Sabine Baptist Association (org. 1843; now extinct)
Soda Lake Baptist Association (A split from the Sabine Baptist Association; still active, but no longer in Rusk County)

Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBC)
Texas State Missionary Baptist Convention
Union Regular Predestinarian Baptist Association (org. 1840; still active, but no longer in Rusk County)

Another thing connected with Baptists of Rusk County are the many church and church-related
State historical markers scattered around the county. The History & Archives Committee of the Mt. Zion Association is responsible for erecting some memorial plaques in cemeteries and at the Sweetgum Grove Museum.

This list is not exhaustive. Certainly some have been forgotten, and some I never knew. If you know of associations, institutions, etc. of Baptists of Rusk County that have not been included, please let us know.

1 Comments:

Blogger Bro. Matt said...

Very interesting info.

10:45 AM  

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