White Oak Baptist celebrates 200 years of service

Few churches have stood the test of time like White Oak Baptist Church, which celebrated 200 years of service on Sunday, May 4.

The anniversary service welcomed both familiar and new faces, featured messages from former pastors, and concluded with a traditional potluck meal.

The church is located on Road 802 west of Arlington off Hooper Mill Creek Road.

“If you’ve never eaten here at White Oak, you’re in for a treat,” said current pastor Rev. Andrew Phillips. “When I started here about seven and a half years ago, I was about 50 pounds lighter.”

Dr. Rory Lee, president of the Mississippi Baptist Historical Commission, presented Rev. Phillips with a certificate to commemorate the special occasion.

Rev. David Addy, mission director of the Neshoba Baptist Association, addressed the congregation on behalf of the association, and former pastors Rev. Eric Sharp and Rev. Tim Robertson returned to speak and take part in the celebration.

Sharp read from Hebrews 12:1 before saying, “That great cloud of witnesses would be so proud today to see this church—they’d be so excited and so overwhelmed to see what God is doing.”

“White Oak taught me to love, to be merciful, to be forgiving, to be dependent on Him, and to be our own strength,” Sharp said. “Nobody here did that for me—God did, and he can do it for 200 more years.”

Robertson, who pastored the church from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, reflected on his early ministry: “It meant a lot to me to be here. Being a young man, I learned so much about pastoring—I had so many wonderful memories from this church.”

He recalled how photos were rarely taken except on special occasions, like the one from his wedding shower. He also shared a funny memory about falling into Mr. Curtis Thompson’s pond while baptizing longtime member Dee Usry—a tall man who had to kneel to help him out.

No tribute to White Oak would be complete without mention of its beloved bell. Originally owned by early members Charley and Ida Barrett, the bell was given to the church in 1999 by Roy Byars in memory of his wife, Wanda, who was the Barretts’ granddaughter.

Although there are no written records prior to 1880, oral history passed down through generations says that early worshipers gathered at White Oak Springs School when circuit preachers visited.

As the community grew, members decided to formally establish a church in 1880, naming Rev. E.S. Clark as their first pastor. Later, in 1909, a new church building was constructed beside the school.

In 1922, the church building was “ceiled” after Rev. I.J. Blocker donated 500 feet of ceiling material and supplied the rest at a rate of $25 per thousand feet. Blocker served as pastor from 1913 to 1919.

In 1952, the original building was torn down and moved back 20 feet to make room for a basement with Sunday School rooms. The new church was built using the same lumber, and by 1953, benches and electricity were installed.

Improvements continued with a cemetery expansion in 1954, new window screens and doors in 1963, and the purchase of two dozen “Favorite Hymns and Songs” books that same year.

“We still use the old song books—or ‘the blue book’ as we call it,” said Myra Byars. “We like ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and all those good old songs—we sing those still.”

“When they say the number on the page, we know what song it is,” added Kay Snow.

Paneling was donated to finish the auditorium walls in 1965, and a new floor and four ceiling fans were installed in 1966.

In 1974, additional Sunday School rooms and a fellowship hall were built through the donation of trees, which members cut and sawed themselves.

In 2004, a new fellowship hall was constructed, with the original hall now serving as the Women’s Sunday School room.

Snow said that God has used White Oak in many ways, helping countless families, and that people continue to be saved there.

“We don’t turn away anybody,” Byars said. “Even though it’s a small church, it’s very diverse. We have whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Choctaws that are all members here.”

“We all get along and all believe in the Bible,” Snow said. “We work together.”

For both Byars and Snow, White Oak Baptist Church means home and family.

“It’s the people you can laugh with, cry with, pray with, sing with, and worship with—we know the good and the bad and love each other anyway,” Byars said.

“When our time is over, I hope they continue to seek what the Lord wants White Oak to be,” Snow said.