McClendon Baptist Church began as an outgrowth of a Bible study class started by Mrs. Shannon Rogers in 1930. This is the story, as remembered by Mrs. Louise Brown, one of the children in that Bible study class and a charter member of McClendon. “One day, some children were walking to school, and Donald Rogers asked his mom if he could go with them. She agreed even though they were older than him. They noticed a log truck and waited for it to pass as they began to cross the road. Donald thought he could make it but didn’t and was killed. All his mom could think about was the prior Sunday that Donald had asked her to go the Sunday School with him, and she promised him she would go the next Sunday. Well, next Sunday never came. Mrs. Rogers never was bitter; instead, she drove up and down the street, asking children to go to Sunday School. Later, land and materials were donated, and McClendon Baptist Church was built. McClendon was birthed out of a ministry to children.”
In February 1931, the church was organized in its present location. During the ministry of E. A. Burgess, the land was donated, and the first brick sanctuary was built in 1955. During the ’60s, a nursery, educational building, and parking lots were added. In 1972, McClendon was one of the first churches of its size to build a recreation building (gym). The church was in a building mode in the ’80s, with the addition of a sanctuary in 1980 and the remodeling of the children and educational buildings in 1983. The current adult education building was built in 1992, with an expanded nursery in 1993. In 2008, McClendon broke ground on a Children’s Building with a total project cost of $2.7 million. Through the faithful giving of its members, McClendon Baptist Church was ultimately able to pay off the building note in November 2013. All praise be to God!
In July 1966, the church called a young preacher from south Louisiana, Herman Savoie, to be a pastor. Under his long-tenured leadership of 33 years, the church grew to average more than 400 in Sunday School, beginning many new ministries, including Ouachita Baptist Church in 1987.
The church began a second-morning worship service in 2001 under the leadership of Rick Crandall. Since its inception, this new service has helped the church reach many young families. After almost two years of looking for a pastor, in June 2012, Dr. Kevin Stewart was called as pastor. Under his leadership, the church has a renewed and clarified vision.
McClendon Baptist exists to make a spiritual impact on individuals in Ouachita Parish and beyond. All our potential for Kingdom growth is dependent on God. Relying on God through prayer and obedience connects us to the only one who grows the Church − God Himself.
