Church guide

Scotty Rhodes asked me to provide a list of past pastors of New Columbia Missionary Baptist Church. Records of 1912-1920 were lost in a fire in the clerk's home. I do not know how accurate the early history I have is. Shelby County churches have changed their associational allegiances a few times during their history,further complicating verification of facts. My information indicates the church was organized in 1897, guided by C. B. Gipson. Originally the church was named Sulphur Springs, and renamed New Columbia when it was built on its present spot in 1917. There is speculation the church may have been previously known as Columbia. A tornado compromised the safety of its building and it was rebuilt in the latter 1930s. J. W. Griffith, in Century One Shelby County Missionary Baptist Association 1881-1980 a Brief History, lists the following pastors:Either W. C. or J. W. Koonce, D. J, Collins,E. E. Jones, W. H. Ingram, R. L. Hooper, Alvin Pate, Doyle Johnson, Jack Lucas, N. S. Stringfellow, J. L. Ingram, V. E. Christy, and M. G. McNeill. Following Bro. McNeill, we had Frank Summers, Donald Melton, Daniel Davis, Michaely Cary, Kyle Morris, Kyle's grandfather B. A. Morris, and our present beloved pastor, Calvin Gould. The earliest one of these men any of us can recollect being our pastor is Alvin Pate.

My granddaughter.

We had a historical moment at New Columbia Missionary Baptist Church this past Sunday! We have always had to go to other churches for baptisms, but we recently got our own baptistry for our church. Madison Grigsby, we are so proud that you have accepted Christ as your Savior and are the first person ever to be baptized in our new baptistry! We hope that we have many more in the future!

I just saw a post from Sandy Jones stating it was pastor appreciaion month. All of us at New Columbia appreciate our pastor, Calvin Gould, and Mrs. Bonnie. Although hey cannot be with us tomorrow we will be missing them and praying for them. Do you ever hink that your pastor does not have a pastor? Fortunately, I am sure Bro. Gould has some pastor friends who can serve him in this capacity.

Please keep our Pastor, Bro Gould and Ms Bonnie in your Thoughts and Prayers this week for he will be starting his 2nd round of Chemo on tuesday. Was so good to have them in Church with us yesterday. Praying for Ease and Comfort this coming week for Bro. Gould... 🙏🙏🙏

Barring any more setbacks Bro. Gould plans to be at church Sunday. We need to be aware of his suscepibility to infections and take appropriate precautions. I hear he will be sporting a new do--courtesy of the chemo. Thank the Lord for the turnaround in his healh from last weekend.

I have had some inquiries about phone calls to Bro. Gould. His son, Keith says he is not up for calls yet. He will notify us when he is able to receive them. Mrs. Bonnie talked to Charles today. Bro. Calvin was to receive blood today. His counts are still very low. He was able to eat a little ice cream and some eggs. hey request prayers.

Keith reports slight improvement in Bro. Calvin's condition. He still has a long way to go. Ann has been taking Mrs. Bonnie to the hospital.

We enjoyed Bro. Slocumb and Mrs. Dorothy this morning. We are sorry to report Bro Calvin is hospitalized wih low red and white counts. Bro. Slocumb says he has an infection. Needless to say, he cannot have visitors. Please continue to pray for him and Mrs. Bonnie.

Our pastor, Calvin Gould, is experiencing the negative effects of 96 straight hours of a strong chemo cocktail. Because his immunity is compromised due to a low white cell count, his doctor has advised him to avoid contact with other people. Although we miss him and Mrs. Bonnie, he will not be able to attend church this Sunday Mrs. Bonnie said she will ask Bro. Slocumb to fill in Sunday. He sees his doctor Monday. He should not have to be hospitalized for the next round of chemo. Continue to pray.

Today we learned of he homegoing of Oleta Peace. She was the wife of Charles Ray Peace, who died earlier this summer. Oleta's roots were in he Weaver communiy. Both she and Charles Ray were members and supporters of New Columbia until they moved near their daughter, Sherry, to spend their declining years. Both will be missed by friends and family.

Our pastor, Bro. Calvin Gould received his first chemo beginning at 4 PM yesterday. He had a spinal tap today with some chemo introduced into his spinal fluid as a precaution. He says everything is going better than he expected. Mrs. Bonnie stayed with him last night, but the sleeping arrangement was hard on her. His room# is 6836 in UT Health in Tyler. The phone number is 903-747-4636. Although he is not averse to having visitors, he does not want us to have to make the drive at this time. He says he has material to help pass the time.