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St. Paul Missionary Baptist ChurchH
i s t o r y With blessings from God, Reverend L. Garcia opened the doors of the St. Paul Missionary
Baptist Church as a mission in October of 1967. The church was officially organized as a house of worship on February 9, 1968
and the late Rev. John L. Holliday was installed as the first pastor.
Through dedication and commitment, Pastor Holliday and a few faithful members established a solid foundation that was built upon Gospel preaching, enthusiastic singing and fervent prayers. Rev. Holliday continued building a strong ministry until his retirement in 1975. On March 15, 1975, the Rev. James C. E. Faulkner was called to be the shepherd of the church. Pastor Faulkner was born in Uno, Kentucky. His family later moved to Indiana where he attended school and completed his education. He was a member of the Greater Second Baptist Church of Marion, Indiana where he served as a Deacon, Trustee, Superintendent of Sunday School, and the President of the District Ushers Convention before being called to preach. He relocated to Portland in July of 1971 and became an Associate Minister of the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church under the leadership of Dr. O. B. Williams. Being inspired by God, Pastor Faulkner utilized his gifts for teaching, organization, and administration. He implemented many growth ideas including weekly prayer meetings in the homes, Sunday night bible classes, a new membership class, new choirs, and an enhanced usher board. He also reorganized the Missionary department which lead to an increased number of circles and the establishment of the Brotherhood. Subsequently, the Missionary Department went from a few women on Wednesday night to an active membership of 137 workers with an annual budget of $8,000.00. To assist Rev. Faulkner, the Holy Spirit guided George Merriweather to St. Paul. Like Paul and Timothy, Pastor took Bro. Merriweather under his wings, and trained and ordained him. The blessings continued to flow in 1989 when Rev. J.W. Matt Hennessee was added to the flock. To maintain sustainability, Pastor Faulkner taught the principles of tithing as ways to give back to God and to support the efforts of the church. As a result, many became aware of our total commitment to Jesus Christ, church income increased and the church mortgage was burned. When you give to the Lord, He gives back to you in large quantities. He blessed us with a new PA system, new pews, new kitchen, an organ, and a new choir stand. He also made a way for us to purchase the land across the street and convert it into a 40-space parking lot that was paved in 1994. The following year, 1995, we continued to make cosmetic improvements to the church building. Vinyl siding was placed on the exterior of the building, new vinyl windows were installed and a new roof was completed. Pastor Faulkner also traveled to Moscow, Russia as a guest professor to teach a course on the Gospels for a month. Our humble church was honored by his missionary and evangelistic efforts and we were excited to hear the reports regarding the heartfelt worship and praises that were being sent up. From 1996 through 1998, renovations to the interior continued. We purchased a Grand Piano, added pictures to the Sanctuary, removed the dividing wall between the Sanctuary and the overflow room, added a nurses station, added new classrooms, relocated the library, and developed the church website (www.stpaulbaptistpdx.org). Many of these accomplishments were the direct results of a very blessed and successful building fund drive spearheaded by Rev. Matt Hennessee. God enabled us to surpass our building fund goal which allowed us to complete other projects that had been on our wish list as well. These included painting the Sanctuary, new pulpit furniture, a new Communion Table, new carpet and central heating and air conditioning. In 1999, we instituted a 7:45 a.m. Worship Service and the Evangelistic Ministry ventured out by having its first annual picnic in the park services. In addition to our own pulpit staff, preachers from California and Michigan delivered short sermons. It was a tremendous blessing. In 2001, a wheelchair entrance was added to the north side of the church and the parking lot was improved with new striping. The work continued from 2002 through 2004 as the electrical system was updated, gutters were cleaned, worn items were replaced, and the remainder of the church was painted. A computer lab was added to the High School Classroom and new robes, a new piano, and additional sound equipment were purchased for the music ministry. The addition pastor was most proud of was the new lighted sign in front of the Church. In 2004, many souls were brought to Christ through our community outreach. We will never stop reaching out and seeking those which are lost. The church became more active in working with both the Union District Baptist Association of Oregon and the General Baptist Convention of the Northwest. We also began our commitment to help the foreign mission board build churches in Africa. In 2005, additional deacons and deaconesses were called and they began an extensive training period. The house next door was purchased for future use as a convention and youth center. A much deeper emphasis was placed on Christian growth, maturity, and bible study. Pastor Faulkner began 2006 by reorganizing the administrative structure and appointing new ministry directors. The new deacons and deaconesses were ordained during the 38th annual church anniversary celebration. They are looking forward to fulfilling their duties and responsibilities in evangelism, education, and other Christian ministries. We recognize that there will be many trials and stumbling blocks during the upcoming years but we look forward to the challenges because we know our God can do |
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