FIRST -- Black Church to Join the Union Baptist Association, Houston TX
N 29° 44.342 W 095° 21.445
15R E 272007 N 3292196
The Fourth Missionary Baptist Church, a historic African-American church in Houston, and the first black church to join the Union Baptist Associaton, an important step in integrating the black and white Baptist churches in Texas
Waymark Code: WMY3GK
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/13/2018
Views: 0
The Fourth Missionary Baptist Church is located at 2710 Webster Street, east of I-45 and south of US 59 in the economically-struggling yet historic Third Ward area of south Houston.
It is the first black church to join the then all-white Union Baptist Association.
The state historic marker in front of the church reads as follows:
"FOURTH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Organized as Watts Chapel in 1877, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church was established by the Rev. Henry Watts. A native of South Carolina, Watts arrived in Houston that same year, and with the help of fellow Houston ministers and deacons, secured a place of worship on Commerce Street. In 1883, he and church trustees purchased land and moved the church to West Broadway, and the congregation changed its name to Fourth Missionary Baptist Church in 1884. The church moved again to a location at the corner of Dowling and Lamar, rebuilding after a storm destroyed their building in 1900, and again after a fire in 1910.
Under the leadership of the Rev. Alex H. Branch, the church moved in 1927. When the Rev. Branch passed away in 1932, members elected his son, Elridge Stanley Branch, as pastor. During the Rev. Dr. E.S. Branch's 61-year pastorate, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church moved here (1946) and attained its status as a leading Christian institution. Members have helped Houston residents in a variety of ways, including a kindergarden (1941), well baby clinic, food clinics, programs to help the needy during Christmas and a low-income housing complex. The church has also focused on missions, working closely with a Baptist church in Panama, organizing Bella Vista Church on East 36th Street in Houston and ministering in Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and the Philippines.
The church has hosted the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas several times and in 1968 became the first black church to join the Union Baptist Association, an important step in the integration of churches in the state. Today, Fourth Missionary Baptist Church continues as a vital spiritual and social leader in Houston. (2007)
Marker is property of the state of Texas"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1968
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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