Mission Springs Baptist Church
Henderson, Rusk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Several members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, organized nearby in 1884, established Missionary Springs Baptist Church n 1894. The church is named for springs at the site of initial brush arbor services. The Rev. William Hendrix was called as first pastor in 1902, the year the church joined the Southern Baptist Association. A frame sanctuary was erected at this site about 1905. Renamed Mission Springs Baptist Church about 1918, the congregation has acquired new facilities over the years and continues its support of a Sunday School, youth groups, and home and foreign missions. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Rural congregations often began under open-air 'brush arbors' before they could build, and this one is named for the springs where those first services were held. Founded in 1894 by members drawn from the nearby Ebenezer Baptist Church, the congregation called the Rev. William Hendrix as its first pastor in 1902 and raised a frame sanctuary here around 1905. Renamed Mission Springs Baptist Church about 1918, it has served generations of Rusk County families through its Sunday school, youth groups, and mission work.
Why it matters
Country churches were the social and moral anchors of frontier communities, and their long survival records the enduring role of faith and fellowship in rural American life.
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Related people
- · William Hendrix
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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