Our History
John the Baptist M.B. Church was first established in 1911 in the City of Columbia, MS. It was first located in the Hardwood Quarters. The church was established under the leadership of Rev. L.J. Williams. Rev. Williams was the first pastor of the church. The first ordained deacons of the church were Deacon Jim Roder and Deacon Matthew Fortenberry. The members decided to have church service once every month. The first Sunday school class was taught by Sis. Linnie Cyrus Foster. She started Sunday school with just 5 students. She did not have a Sunday school book to teach from, so she taught using her Bible.
A few years later under the leadership of Rev. Gato Dukes, the second pastor of John the Baptist M.B. Church, the membership began to grow. They decided to buy a house in Columbia. The members soon let that house go back. They decided to buy a better spot and that is where we are presently located today. The members bought the land from Mr. Richard Kalil. The third pastor of the church, Rev. G.B. Goss, served as pastor at this new location. Several years later Rev. Goss left and the church was without a pastor for a while. In 1935 the Lord sent Rev. W. L. Lumzy to the church. The committee installed him as the churchâs fourth pastor later that year. Rev. Lumzy served as pastor until his death in 1991. He faithfully served our flock for 56 years.
In 1992, Rev. Calvin Newsom, Sr. was installed as the fifth pastor of John the Baptist M.B. Church. He is still presently serving as the Under Shepherd of God’s flock. Under his leadership and vision the old church was torn down and a new church was built on the same spot. During the time the church was being built, church services were still held weekly at several different sites. In 2011, we celebrated our church’s 100th year anniversary.
Our Deacons
