| Marker Text |
The St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad built a line through Malakoff in 1880. In 1883 a Union church organized by the Reverend Hezekiah Mitcham, which served both Baptist and Methodists, relocated to a site near the railroad. According to local legend, denominational differences which occurred within the church established by Mitcham resulted in thirty-six of its members establishing this Baptist church in 1884. They called themselves the Missionary Baptist Church of Christ. A church building was erected in early 1885 on a town lot owned by W. L. Evans and in 1891 a Sunday School was organized. The sanctuary also served as a community center and provided classroom space on a temporary basis. A new sanctuary was erected at this site in 1894 on land donated by W. A. Martin of Missouri. Membership in the congregation had grown to 152 by 1917, and in 1918 a new frame church building was erected here. The congregation established a Hispanic mission in 1925. The 1918 church building was replaced with a new brick sanctuary in 1954. The congregation added a parsonage in 1964, an education building in 1971, an auditorium in 1982 and homes for a Hispanic mission in 1990. The church continues to serve the community with various programs and activities. (1995) |
