Teens Called To Preach-150 Years of History, First Baptist Mixon
By Deborah Burkett
Writing a story about the history of one's church, established in 1866, can be a daunting task. Questions arise such as what should be included in the limited space provided; what should be the focus? As I pondered this dilemma I came across a bit of history that peaked my interest--teenagers answering the call to preach.
While children and youth in the colonial era of our country were treated as small adults, awareness of their special status and needs grew in the 19th century, as one after another religious denominations began special programs for their young people.
Beginning in the 1790s the Protestant denominations set up Sunday school programs. Protestant theologian, Horace Bushnell in Christian Nurture (1847) emphasized "the necessity of identifying and supporting the religiosity of children and young adults." Evangelicals in the early 1900s set up Bible clubs for teens and experimented with the use of music to attract young people.
Researching the history of First Baptist Mixon, I found several notable individuals who answered the call to preach at a very young age. They are: W. R. White who eventually became president of Baylor University and James T. Draper, Jr., of Jacksonville who years later was known as "Mr. Southern Baptist."
William Richardson White was born on a farm in Henderson County, Texas, on December 2, 1892, to Gibson and Kittie Dorman White. William's father died when he was only eight months old, his mother died seven years later. He was then raised by his grandmother in Frankston. White answered the call to ministry at age eleven and preached his first sermon at fourteen and was ordained three weeks prior to his eighteenth birthday.
Though frail and skinny, William R. White was blessed with the ability to retain knowledge and a powerful voice he used frequently on the stage in amateur productions at the Rusk Academy in Cherokee County where he received his preparatory training. He served the church in Mixon from 1911 to 1913. Later, White was inaugurated tenth president of Baylor University on February 1, 1948.
The next individual with ties to First Baptist Mixon who preached at a very young age is Jimmy Draper Jr., the son and grandson of Baptist preachers.
Standing in the pulpit in Mixon on September 3, 1950, a 15 year-old Jimmy Draper preached his first sermon. He recalled, "I had it down to 30 minutes but when I got up to speak, I delivered it in 12 minutes flat…at the time my father (Jimmy Draper Sr.) was pastor at Central Baptist Church in Jacksonville…Mixon changed the time of their service so my father could hear me preach..."
Jimmy Draper Jr. went on to become president of Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention and upon his retirement was deemed "Mr. Southern Baptist" by the Baptist Press.
The phrase "celebrating 150 years" rolls off the tongue quite easily but to fully appreciate what the early church founders in the Mixon community accomplished, one must place their actions in a broader historical context in terms of politics and culture. It was a time of uncertainty. Still fresh in everyone's mind was the fight with Mexico for independence and the ensuing days of the Republic of Texas.
Just months before the church was established in 1866 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and Vice President Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States. Johnson took the oath of office as the Civil War concluded. Many in the old Pine Springs community (aka Mixon) fought in that War; 20 are buried in Mixon Cemetery with gravestones denoting their service.
First Baptist Church Mixon traces its beginnings to Rev. E. M. Carter and Elias Stephens as they established the Union Baptist Church (1866) with 15 members. This group of 15 was composed of former members from the earliest recorded church in the community which at the time was known as Pine Springs. The first church was an ecumenical one and established in 1853.
Ecumenical is defined as the unity of Christian churches in some form. In the case of Mixon, the ecumenical church was three denominations, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist, using the same building on alternate weekends. To oversee the church and cemetery property three trustees were appointed: S.K. Braly, Moses Langston and L.T. Willingham.
The Union Baptist Church was renamed Pine Springs Baptist Church in 1881. Then in 1889, the Pine Springs community was renamed Mixon when a post office was established. In 1946, the church was named First Baptist Church of Mixon.
In closing, I want to highlight another notable pastor, with connections to First Baptist Mixon. Bro. Lee Welch, Executive Director of Missions, Dogwood Trails Baptist Association. He will deliver the key note sermon at the special 150th celebration Sunday April 24th, 10:30 AM. In the past, Bro. Welch has served as Interim Pastor at First Baptist Mixon. Also slated to be part of the special event are former Mixon pastors John Cole Jr., Jerry Hawbaker and Joe Ballard.
Current Pastor Bro. Chris Cliborn invites everyone to the celebration April 24th starting at 10:30 A.M. Special music and lunch will be provided.
William R. Wright
First Baptist Church Mixon in 1950s
Jimmy Draper Jr.
First Baptist Mixon pastors Jerry Hawbaker and John Cole Jr. with Karen Langston, pianist.