ABOUT US
"The church literally came alive and has been on fire with the Spirit of the Lord ever since."
OUR HISTORY
The Christ's Southern Mission Baptist Church was established more than one hundred years ago and survived and prospered. To God be the glory!
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In the spring of 1898, Rev. Ben Cage with the assistance of a small group of faithful believers organized the Southern Mission Baptist Church. Much prayer and groundwork were expended to establish this work for Christ. Much of the labor began in the home of Mother Moon who resided at 12th Street and Washington Avenue. Many pastors followed, and Rev. Terry became the tenth pastor in 1910. The church moved to a location on Scott Avenue in 1917 where the membership continued to grow.
Property was purchased in 1918 at the intersection of Market and Montrose street. There were two houses on the land; one was used as a parsonage and the other was used for services. Upon the retirement of Rev. Terry, Rev. Ed Jackson from Mississippi assumed leadership. In 1920, the basement for a new church was completed, and the membership moved into it. At this time Rev. Jackson returned to Mississippi.
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During the year 1923, Rev. Owens, the pastor of Galilee Baptist Church invited young evangelist named Rev. Herman Gore, Sr. to conduct a ten day revival for him. The rest is history. God blessed all of them in such a powerful way that St. Louis was never quite the same. Great multitudes were saved by grace.
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On March 15, 1923, Southern Mission Baptist Church called Rev. Herman Gore, Sr. to be the pastor. The church literally came alive and has been on fire with the Spirit of the Lord ever since. The church auditorium and an annex were completed and paid for by the membership. The church was and has remained debt free because of the goodness of the Lord and the great leadership. An eighteen-acre farm was also purchased as a retirement home for the members, but was later sold.
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The name, Christ, was later added to the church's title because of its love for the Savior. Christ's Southern Mission Baptist Church was forced to move to its present location at 5630 Page Boulevard because of redevelopment and redistricting of our city.
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Rev. Herman Gore, Sr. pastored the church for sixty-four years; he simultaneously pastored the Christ's Second Baptist Church of Long Beach, California for thirty-nine years.
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Rev. Herman Gore, Jr. served as co-pastor for thirty years with his father and continued to pastor until his death on November 10, 1999. After his death, Minister Hosea E. Gales served as interim pastor until the election 2003 when Rev. Lamarr Goldman was installed as Pastor of Christ's Southern Mission Baptist Church. Rev. Goldman served until the Lord called him home on April 22, 2018.
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Saturday, August 25, 2018, Minister Jeffrey A. Rhone was installed as Pastor of Christ's Southern Mission Baptist Church.