About Our Church
We have come this far by faith! Leaning on the Lord! Trusting in His Holy words! He's never failed us yet!
136 years ago the Second Evening Star Baptist Church was organized by Reverend Charles King along with 30 members on an acre of land donated by Mrs. Mary Texada. It was the only church in the area so it grew rapidly. From 1900 to 1936, the late Reverends Benjamin Howard, Robert Wilson, John Smith, Tom Grimble, Joe Brown, Anderson Norris, Luke Williams & Tom Wheatley pastored our church. During this period of time our church:
- Had a split (1906) and other churches evolved
- Had a pastor who had a stroke and died (Reverend Wilson – 1910)
- Was burned to ashes (Dec. 1910) after a pastoral election (Grimble)
- Had disgruntled members along with John Smith form the Pilgrim Rest B.C.
- Was torn apart by a tornado (1930)
The people loved Second Evening Star Baptist Church and the ground on which it stood, so they got together and re-built after both mishaps. They had a mind to work; they were of one accord and knew that, with God, all things are possible. From 1936 through December 1974, the late Reverend (Dr.) G.C. Jacob served as our Pastor. Under his awesome leadership, our church:
- Was moved to its present location
- Was renovated in 1945 and rebuilt in 1967
Reverend Jacob left our church in good faith, but in poor health. His untiring work in our church will always be remembered. From January 1975 through January 1983, Reverend Ameal Jones served as Pastor. Under his dynamic leadership we continued to grow spiritually. He was our first full-time Pastor. During this time we:
- Established the Bethlehem Children’s Church
- Constructed the G.C. Jacob Education Building
- Purchased 10 acres of land on Cooper Road
- Implemented additional Sunday School Classes and choirs
- Started the Bus and Radio Ministries
From 1983 to 2004, Reverends Lee E. Fields, Kurt Clark, and Dwight Harris pastored the flock. During this time we:
- Upgraded our parking lot and computer system
- Implemented a Praise Team and Drill Team
In August 2004, God blessed us with Reverend Phillip Taylor and we thank God for him! Already we see that he is concentrating on building people with the Word. We have a very rich and proud heritage here, and from every profession throughout the world, they will tell you that they have roots from the Bayou. During the last three decades at least eleven preachers/pastors began here on the Bayou.
Our church is still striving, but just look how far we’ve come. We've come a mighty long way! Yet we continue to toil for we know that the race is not given to the swift or the battle to the strong, but to those who hold out and prove faithful until the end. Many things about tomorrow we may not understand, but we know who holds tomorrow and pray that God will continue to hold our hands!