SWEET HOME MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, EVANT
1877--
Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church
was the third church organized near Langford
Cove/Evant. Rev.
Noah Turner Byars organized
this church on 12 April, 1877, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George
Washington
Griggs who lived in Hamilton County about six miles
northeast of the present town of Evant. In addition to Bro.
Noah Turner Byars and Mr. and Mrs. Griggs, other adults present were Mr.
and Mrs. Dave W. White and Mr. and Mrs. Donahue. In 1848 Byars
was the first missionary appointed by the Texas Baptist Convention.
The Sweet Home Missionary Baptist
Church participated in the organization of the Hamilton
County Baptist Association on 4
July, 1877, at the Cottonwood Springs
School. Noah Turner Byars was an
itinerant preacher who traveled from one settlement to another holding
"protracted meetings" and organizing churches. As the
congregation outgrew the Griggs’ log cabin home and a brush
arbor, and then a church building were erected about three or four miles west of the
Griggs’ home. The first pastor was likely Presley O’Keefe,
who also taught school in Langford
Cove.
In 1885 Sweet Home Baptist Church
built the first church building in the town of Evant. Being paid
for by subscription, the church was dedicated by Dr. R. C. Buckner
on the second Sunday in May, 1892. Since services were held only once a
month, the Baptist congregation shared their building with the Methodist
congregation.
In 1913 the name of Sweet Home Baptist
Church was changed to Evant Baptist
Church. P. W. Springfield was the first full-time pastor in 1943.
His salary was ninety dollars a month plus rent and utilities. During his
ministry an educational annex and baptistry were added. A second
annex was added in 1948. In 1955 a new brick building was built with 7760
square feet. The first service in the new sanctuary which seated 300, was
held on 2 October, 1955, when Billy Butts was pastor.
Early pastors of Sweet Home Baptist
Church were:
Presley O’Keefe--1878-1879
D. I. Harralson--1881-1886,
1886
D. W. White--1887,
1890--1897
G. W. Herrington--1888
J. C. Combs--1889
W. N. White,
1898
Pinkney Hawkins, 1899
Early church clerks were:
W. B. Wright--1881
J. W. Brooks--1882--1883
S. C. Smith--1884, 1886
S. E. Smith--1885
J. R. Carter--1887--1891
P. H. Young,
1892--1894
James White,
1895
J. R. White,
1896--1897
R. S. Griggs,
1898
A. T. Stamp, 1899
Early messengers to the association were:
1878--D. W. White, J. W. Howard,
and W. N. White
1879--D. W. White, J. W. Howard,
and J. P. Murphree
1881--D. W. White, and J. P.
Murphy; Elder D. W. White and W. B. Wright
1883--W. B. Wright and D.
E. Eliott
1884--D. W. White, W. B. Wright,
and George Griggs
1885--D. N. White and W.
B. Wright
1886--D. W.
White
1887--Elder D. W. White, A. J.
Culpepper, and J. W. Maness
1888 and 1889--D.
W. White
1890-- D. W.
White, S. E. Smith, A. J. Culpepper
1891--D. W.
White, T. W. Kirkland, J. R. Carter
1892--D. W.
White, P. H. Young
1893--D. W.
White, W. N. White, P. H. Young, J. R. White
1895--D. W.
White, W. N. White, Dr. R. L. Howell, P. H. Young
1896--D. W.
White, W. N. White, J. T. White, P. H. Young
1897--Rev.’s
D. W. White, W. N. White, W. M. Howell, Brethren G. H. Singleton, P. H.
Howell
1898--Rev. W. N.
White, Brethren P. H. Young, J. A. Sheffield, R. S. Griggs G. H. Singleton
1899--A. T. Stamp, P. H. Young, E. B.
White, and Rev. W. N. White
1907
HCBA Minutes
1908
HCBA Minutes
1909
HCBA Minutes
1910
HCBA Minutes
1911
HCBA Minutes