HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE ST. JAMES MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

St. James Baptist Church was first organized in 1927. It began with a small group that gathered in the home of Bro. James and Sis. Sarah Bookman. The Rev. Thomas Cambridge and his wife, Maggie led a feverish worship with Bro. Frank Berry, Bro. Albert White and Rev. Sye Lane from the Bethel Baptist Church. These families, sustained by the food of the gospel, stayed and the church grew. During this time, the church located on Red River, but after a short period of time, Rev. A. L. Winn became pastor and the church was moved to Northwestern, where worship services were held under a tree. Our small congregation continued to hold prayerful services under a tent on the property of Pastor Winn’s sister, Warnetta Winn Walker, until they could afford to purchase the property and erect a small frame building at 1102 Midway. Upon the death of Rev. Winn, the Rev. R.B. Canady was called to pastor the church. During this period of time, the church began to grow. In 1950, Rev. O.W. Henry was called to pastor, and upon his calling the membership grew to the extent that expansion was needed. The old building was moved to the rear of the property and services were held in it until the new building was completed.

In September 1953, Rev. E. M. Franklin, the fifth pastor of St. James was called to lead our congregation. He immediately expanded the Deacon Board and increased the auxiliaries of the church. This was a time of great blessings and great growth. Even after remodeling, the church would need to move again, because of flooding in the area.

The Urban Renewal Agency of Austin purchased our property at 1102 Midway, enabling us to move proudly to a beautiful site at the corner of East Nineteenth and Redwood (now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and E. M. Franklin Avenue), on Sunday, August 17, 1969. The church membership continued to grow, and the need for a larger edifice was now a reality. In 1978, the church was remodeled and since that time our membership has grown and has continued to grow with a need for even more space. Responding to this need, a fourth edifice was built annexing the old sanctuary in August 1986, under the leadership of Rev. E. M. Frankin.