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First Baptist Church of Winona is a loving group of believers in Christ. We are a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and are affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Smith Baptist Association. We are located in Winona, TX, which is in Smith County, just north of Tyler. Though our community is small, we have big dreams of reaching this entire area for Christ and being the home church for many in this area. Through sound Bible teaching, preaching straight from the Word of God, inspiring music, and a loving fellowship, we are finding that people come to First Baptist Church of Winona as visitors only one time, then build long lasting relationships and deepen their walk in Christ. You will have a hard time finding a more loving environment than you find at First Baptist Church of Winona. We are committed to reaching entire families with the gospel and making disciples for this and future generations. With a healthy balance of the five purposes of the church—Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry and Evangelism—First Baptist Church seeks to be the church that God called us to be. We believe that the Bible is the written Word of God, divinely inspired and contains no errors; nor can it be disproved. As a church, we agree with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and would be considered conservative theologically.
History
A look into the history of this church is also a look into the history of Texas. After Texas gained its independence and had been admitted to the Union, the Southern Baptist Convention sent missionaries into different parts of our great state. It is not known whether the founder of our church, Elder William H. Ray, born in Kentucky, was one of these missionaries or came to Texas on his own. But what is fact is that he helped organize First Baptist Church of Tyler, Texas, on April 8, 1848, and served as their first pastor. Then on October 27, 1849, he helped establish our church which was originally called Harris Creek Baptist Church. On October 17, 1929, the church voted to change the name from Harris Creek Baptist Church to Winona Baptist Church.
In a special conference held November 16, 1941, it was decided that the church would become full-time and meet every Sunday. Another name change was voted on at a business conference held on January 12, 1947. The name was then changed from Winona Baptist Church to First Baptist Church of Winona. In June of 1997, First Baptist Church of Winona was officially recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark. Descendants of William H. Ray, Mildred Shamburger and Kenny Ray, participated in the unveiling ceremony of the historical marker on June 29, 1997. First Baptist Church of Winona has stood in this community for a century and a half as a testimony for God. Many lives have been touched and changed because of our church. May ‘those who come behind us find us faithful’ as we, with God’s help, continue this Heritage of Faithfulness.
[Ref: Sesquicentennial Anniversary program booklet, Oct. 31, 1999]
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