February 18, 2002
A Timeline of African-American Baptist ministry in Texas
1840
___First Baptist Church of Galveston organized its five slave members as the Colored Baptist Church. It later became the Africa Baptist Church and later Avenue L Baptist Church.
1860
See related story: Separated at birth, united in faith
___Ebenezer Baptist Church in LaGrange built by slaves for slaves.
1864
___Mount Pisgah Baptist Church of Dallas organized under an oak tree.
1865
___Second Baptist Church of Seguin organized by Leonard Isley.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. greets Black Texas Baptists at a National Baptist Convention US, Inc. meeting in Dallas.
1866
___New Hope Baptist Church organized in Waco by Steve O'Bryan, pastor of First Baptist Church in Waco, and Rufus Burleson, president of Baylor University. Eighteen former slaves who formerly had worshipped at First Baptist Church were the charter members.
1867
___St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association organized.
1875
___Texas Baptist State Convention formally organized.
1881
___Bishop College opened in Marshall, thanks largely to the efforts of President Rufus Burleson at Baylor University and the gifts of Col. Nathan Bishop, former secretary of the American Baptist Mission Society of New York City.
1882
___American Baptist Convention of Texas established, growing out of the American Free Mission Baptist Society.
1884
___Guadalupe College founded in Seguin. Both Bishop and Guadalupe were supported by the American Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board and by individual African-American and Southern white churches.
1892
___The American Baptist Convention Home Mission Board offered a unification proposal that involved turning Guadalupe and any other institutions into "feeder" schools for Bishop College.
1893
___The African-American convention divided over controversy regarding charter changes that grew out of the unification proposal. The Texas Baptist State Convention became the Baptist Missionary and Education Convention. A reconstituted group, known as the General Baptist State Convention, was formed. The reconstituted convention later changed its name to the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas.
1906
___St. John's Orphanage built in Austin.
1915
___The National Baptist Convention of America divided over issues of incorporation and controversy related to control of the National Baptist Publishing Board in Nashville.
1922
___The American Baptist Convention of Texas became the American Baptist Free Mission General State and Educational Convention of Texas. Eight years later, it changed its name again to the American Baptist Free Mission Association of Texas.
1931
___The Baptist Missionary and Education Convention split over a dispute regarding properties in Houston, Waco, Bryan and Fort Worth. Consequently, the Texas Baptist Convention was formed.
1936
___Fire destroyed the main building at the Guadalupe College campus.
1940
___American Baptist Free Mission Association of Texas returned to its original name, the American Baptist Convention of Texas.
1944
___Mary Allen College opened in Crockett.
1954
___19th Street Baptist Church and Ebenezer Baptist Church broke the Baptist General Convention of Texas color barrier by applying for acceptance into Austin Baptist Association and affiliating with the BGCT and the Southern Baptist Convention.
1961
___Bishop College moved from Marshall to Dallas.
1975
___Vernon Hickerson became the first black church relations consultant in the missions division of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
1977
___Mary Allen College closed, and the property sold for $200,000.
1981
___Central Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas organized in Galveston. It originated from a dispute with the Missionary Baptist General Convention over an election process.
1982
___Jim Culp joined the BGCT Executive Board staff as consultant in black church relations, a position that ultimately became coordinator of the black church development division.
1988
___Bishop College closed.
1990
___The Texas Baptist Convention changed its name to the Texas State Missionary Baptist Convention.
2001
___ Michael Evans named director of the BGCT office of African-American ministries.
___* Source: "Texas African-American Baptists: The Story of the Missionary Baptist General Convention of Texas" by Marvin C. Griffin.
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