South Texarkana to celebrate 91st anniversary
By: Rhonda Morrow - Texarkana Gazette - Published: 09/27/200
South Texarkana Baptist Church will host a celebration at 9:45 a.m. Sunday in honor of its 91 years of ministry.
Activities will begin with a special presentation by the Southern gospel group, The Crusaders, who have performed at church services, concerts, home comings, revivals and festivals for 20 years. Members include founder David Talley, Jonathan Talley, Steve Reeves and Jerry Clark.
The morning event will also include a recognition ceremony followed by a message from guest speaker, the Rev. George Wormington, who served as the church’s pastor from 1988 to 1996.
A potluck luncheon will follow morning worship.
At 1:30 p.m., The Crusaders will perform again and those attending will have an opportunity to share a testimony.
Little is known about the church’s early history. It was organized in the home of M.G. Kidd in 1917 with only 12 members.
Throughout its history, the church has experienced a fluctuation in attendance dropping to less than two dozen in attendance as recently as 2005.
However, in 2006, the church began to experience growth once again.
Since then, the congregation has started a number of new ministries, including food and busing ministries and expanded education programs for all ages.
The renewed growth of the church has even encouraged several former members to return to the church of their youth.
“God is really blessing South Texarkana Baptist Church and we want to share this news and give an open invitation to all the scheduled homecoming events,” said the Rev. Travis Payne, pastor.
