Little Hope Baptist Church - Canton, TX
N 32° 28.920 W 095° 47.793
15S E 237196 N 3597310
With an ironic name that could be maybe just a notch above Dante's "Abandon all hope," Little Hope Baptist Church is located at 3257 Van Zandt County Rd 4106, Canton, TX.
Waymark Code: WMP483
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2015
Views: 4
The term "little hope" evokes a sense of dread or despair, an odd name for a church. While there is some ironic humor in the name, things weren't very funny in 2010: On January 1, they were the first of ten East Texas churches on the receiving end of arson over a period of about a month. The two arsonists were eventually caught and imprisoned for life. (
visit link) The crimes made the national news, and a film, "Little Hope Was Arson," was made, showing that the members of all the affected churches have a lot more than just a little hope as they deal with the aftermath of the crimes. (
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A Texas Historical Marker in front of the church provides some background:
This church was organized in 1893. The congregation met at the Farmers Alliance Hall before building their first sanctuary in 1894. Louis Manuel Parsons deeded over two acres, which included the newly constructed building, to the church in 1896. A second sanctuary was built in 1916 and replaced by a third church building in 1954. A new facility containing an auditorium and baptistry was dedicated here in 1981. This congregation continues its long tradition of helping community members in need and supports various missionary and outreach activities.