My BMA Heritage

by Cynthia Atkinson Henderson

My BMA heritage began with William and Minnie Daniel, my great-grandparents in Cushing, Texas. They donated land in town for the church and were charter members. The church was named Landmark and is still at the same location today on Seventh Street. The town of Cushing was established in 1903 and the church soon after. I visited this BMA church with my great aunt Lois Daniel, who was a teacher (and daughter of William and Minnie) and returned for her funeral at the same church in 1998. She passed away at 99 years old and was truly a “walking history book”. I loved listening to her talk about her interesting life and our family history. 

When I was five, Mama felt I should be going to church, and because she was familiar with the BMA, she had Daddy drive me to Sunday school most Sunday mornings to the only BMA church in Liberty, Jefferson Drive. Daddy gave me a quarter for the offering and picked me up when Sunday school was over. My first pastor in 1956 was Donald White, and his wife Norma taught my Sunday school class. 

Fifteen years later my pastor, Mack Vinson, attended the annual Bible conference in Jacksonville and “happened” to sit beside a young man named John Henderson. They talked awhile, and Bro. Vinson told John that he knew a quiet, unassuming young lady in his church who would be just right for him. He gave John my address and in 1970 we began corresponding by snail mail then talking on the phone long distance a few times for a few minutes.

We finally met in person at a youth meeting on a Sunday afternoon at Providence in Livingston, which happens to be the church where we were members for twelve years before John’s current pastorate. For our first date, we met at the Indian reservation between Livingston and Woodville, Texas. I prepared a picnic lunch and included some deviled eggs. John still remembers to this day how good they were. His mother made them with mustard and I had always made deviled eggs with mayonaise and he liked mine best. We never told his mother that he preferred mine. 

This is my BMA heritage, and it began with land donated by my great-grandparents for a new little church named Landmark Baptist Church in a new little East Texas town named Cushing. When Mama felt my need for church, I am so thankful the Lord put this BMA history in her mind and the desire to involve me in it. She had no idea at the time the blessings to come for the next 65 years. One very special blessing was that God brought John and me together through this association of churches. We grew up in the BMA about 150 miles apart and after 50 years of marriage, we are still in the BMA and John pastors Damascus Missionary Baptist Church in Corrigan, Texas.