The History of FBC Jackson

 

God has worked His many wonders in the 200 years of First Baptist Church
of Jackson. Our church with His guiding care has a remarkable historical
record. Its history is rich in mission work and ministry. It was a
missionary that began Baptist work in our area more than 2 centuries
ago. And it was because of this deep concern for missions that 8 members
of Bethel Baptist Church were led to establish a church in Jackson in
1824.

We, the First Baptist Church of Jackson, are the only living
church directly descended from Bethel, now known as Old Bethel Baptist
Church, the first non-Catholic church west of the Mississippi River and
beyond. Life was difficult for those early pioneers and as time went on,
the anti-mission movement that was prevalent in many churches at that
time, eventually caused the demise of Old Bethel. The last minutes were
recorded in 1867. Bethel’s light that had once shown so brightly had
gone out.

But God’s work and mission endeavors were to continue thru the work of 8
faithful members of Bethel Church that organized Jackson Baptist Church
(later named First Baptist Church) April 30, 1824. These charter members
were Isaac Sheppard, James Massey, Frances Thomas, John Daugherty, John
Juden Sr., John Juden Jr., Wm. Surrell and Mrs. Wm. Surrell.

It is not known if Jackson had a full-time preacher in the beginning or
if their minister was a circuit preacher. It was common practice in
those days for a minister to ride a circuit and serve several churches.
In the newly formed Cape Girardeau Baptist Association (June 12, 1824)
there were 10 churches and only 7 preachers. We know that sometime
between 1824 and 1826 our pastor was Thomas Parrish Green. His wife was
Polly Green and on her tombstone, located in the Jackson City Cemetery,
is the inscription - “Wife of Thomas Parrish Green, Pastor of Jackson
Baptist Church”. Polly Green died in 1826. A fire in 1856 destroyed all
records. But photos and names of our pastors since that time are located
in the lower hallway by the fellowship hall.

The first house of worship for the early members of Jackson Baptist
Church was a small frame building located just north of the Cape County
Courthouse. This building was shared with the other denomination in town
– the Catholics. A pastorium (parsonage) was also located on North High
Street. According to the old minutes, the pastorium was later sold for
$1600 to help defray the expenses of building a new parsonage.

Historians have passed down a story referred to as “the Baptist pocket
and the Catholic pocket”. It seems that in the early days the only place
where all citizens went regularly was to the County Collector’s Office.
The Catholics and the Baptists were both in need of a house of worship
since their building had burned. So the County Collector had “a Baptist
pocket and a Catholic pocket” to help keep the money separate for
persons who wanted to make a donation to help rebuild the churches.

The Baptist Church was completed in 1857 and the Catholic Church in 1858.
Our new Baptist Church was a small brick building with a total cost of
less than $5,000. Land had been donated to the Baptists by Greer and
Elizabeth Davis on South High Street. This became the new location of
the Jackson Baptist Church and continues to be our location today.

During the Civil War the church was used as headquarters by the
soldiers. By the early 1900s the congregation had outgrown the little
brick church. So, in 1901 a new, much larger church was completed on the
same site. During the Pastorate of T.W. Carnett (1913-1916) a new parsonage was
built on the south side of the church. Then in 1923, a tornado severely damaged
the church along with many other buildings in Jackson. Again, the congregation
voted to rebuild on the same site and the first service was held in the new
house of worship on May 11, 1924 – 100 years from the beginning of Jackson Baptist Church.

For 42 years this stately building with its huge columns served our congregation
well. An educational building had been added in 1956, which allowed for
more class rooms and mission activities. This addition continues in use
today. Then in 1966, having again experienced a lot of growth, a new
sanctuary was built beside the old sanctuary building. The old sanctuary
was converted into meeting rooms. The renovation also included removal
of the columns, steps removed, and a new facade was created for the “old
auditorium” building.

The new building housed a large sanctuary, a new
fellowship hall and kitchen, offices, a library and new Sunday School
classrooms. In 1993, the “old auditorium” building was completely
demolished making way for a new modern addition that serves our
children’s ministry. It also allowed for new larger restrooms, a prayer
room, a handicap entrance and an area used for senior adult Bible
studies. An interesting note is that some of the bricks from the 1924
building were salvaged and used to form 3 crosses on the interior wall
of the new addition. In 2015, a renovation of the sanctuary was completed
allowing for a more contemporary worship center.

Through the years, the Jackson Baptist Church – now called the First Baptist Church
of Jackson – has undergone many changes and church properties were
acquired, parking lots were built and members organized sister churches;
Shawnee Hills Baptist Church, Crossroads Church and Mercy Hill Church.
There are many milestones and events in the life of our church. Among
them is the organization of the first Sunday School in 1889 and the
first VBS in 1924, also the first VBS in the state of Missouri. We have
had an active women’s mission organization for more than 130 years. A
Ladies Sewing Circle was founded in 1891, which eventually became known
as the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU). These ladies devoted countless
hours to visiting the sick, clothing the needy and fixing meals for
those who needed them. They quilted, sent canned food to the Baptist
home, cleaned the church, donated money to help pay the church’s bills
and numerous other mission activities that are recorded in the old
minute books now stored in our Church History Room. Being a
mission-minded church, the records are filled with annual revivals,
outreach endeavors and mission trips. One of the most successful
mission/outreach program was the Easter pageants that were produced each
year for almost 25 years. More than a thousand people attended each year
resulting in many professions of faith.

Mission trips are a very important part of our church history. Our youth
and our ACTeens do mission work and go on mission trips each year. We
have had 4 missionaries commissioned and have gone out from our church
to serve and bring God’s word to people in other countries. Martha Knox
was commissioned in 1950 and Dorothy Lucille Taylor Ford was
commissioned in 1950 for home missions and again in 1952 by the Foreign
Mission Board. She and her husband Charles Ford served many years in the
foreign fields. Rocky and Becky Tallent were Mission Service Corps
volunteers in the 1990s. Missions will always be an important part in
the life of our church as we strive to reach out to our world and share God’s love.

As we think back on over 200 years of our church history, its challenges
and many blessings, may we look forward to the amazing future that God
has planned for the First Baptist Church of Jackson. We are His church,
a church in the heart of Jackson with a heart for Jackson. May we be
obedient to God’s will and continue to shine the light of His love to