Antioch Baptist Church Celebrates Centennial
May 13, 1971Panola Watchman
The Antioch Baptist Church will observe its 100th anniversary Sunday with services in the morning, afternoon, and evening and a covered dish lunch on the church grounds.
Morning services begin at 9:45 and continue until noon. Lunch will be served on the grounds. Afternoon services begin at 2pm with evening services at 7:30pm.
Rev. Ted Johnson, pastor, will conduct the services.
The Antioch Baptist Church was established as a church on May 13, 1871.
Little is known of the beginning except that it started in a log building at the site of the Antioch Cemetery.
It is believed that a fire destroyed the first building, possibly burning all of the records of the first 25 years except two pages which contain the Decorum of Antioch Church, Panola County, Texas and the Ordinations record showing the names of the Presbytery as Rev. W. H. Hays and Rev. J. E. McLendon.
Members listed were H. H. Morelance, W. L. Miller, Mary Morelance, Patience Miller and Marthe E. Byrd. The date listed as May 13th A. D. 1871.
The records then take up with December 1896 at which time Rev. J. T. Bell was pastor. At that time the church was located at the present location in a building that burned in the winter of 1939. The present building was erected soon afterwards.
Over the past 75 years, 25 men have served as pastor, one having served three times and four having served twice.