Church: Toro Baptist Church Source: The following article was copied from an article printed in the Sabine Index. Date unknown other that the mentioned date of (1962). Submitted by: William Andrew McReynolds wmcreynolds@prodigy.net 8916 Acacia Ln. Shreveport, La. 71118 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** HISTORY OF TORO BAPTIST CHURCH We find 38 members listed. Twelve of these had come by letter with the remainder coming by Baptism. The names of these early members were Selfs Sibleys, Ellzeys, Clowers, Tons, Coopers and Brays. In March 1853 we find the first mention of Sunday School when A. K. Addison, R. F. Sibley Jr., and David W. Self were appointed on a committee to raise funds to use in buying Sunday School Books. Along about this time we find where they had begun to have a weekly prayer meeting. In the meantime the twelve rules of decorum were obligated to live up to their responsibilities. The rules also stated methods of receiving members, electing officers and set forth rules and privileges of the church as they worked together, in that the members be governed in the right relationship with one another and with God. They felt that a person should be in his place at the time of church services especially at the business "conference". When these rules were broken by the members a committee investigated to find out what the trouble was. Of these being investigated byCommittees were both white and black, male and female and young and old. If a satisfactory reason or excuse was not found or an appology was not made they were excluded from the fellowship. Beginning in 1850, Toro's Pastor W. L. Sibley was elected moderator of Sabine Association where he served for three years. Later other men who served Toro as Pastor's were outstanding in the work of the association, serving over long periods of time as moderator. The association met for the next few years in the following places: with Toro always having a representation elected by the church: Mt. Pleasant in Rapides Parish, Pleasant Hill in Sabine, Toro Church, Mt. Zion in DeSoto, Many in Sabine, Zion Hill in Sabine, Bethel in Natchitoches Parish, sometimes at Anacoco in Vernon but back again at Toro in 1860. Some revival meetings held in these early years had a good number of additions. One revival that was held with Brethern E.A. Campbell and Nathan H. Bray doing the preaching, resulted in ten coming by experience. Then in September 1855 a revival was held with 14 coming by experience and six by letter, added to others that had come during the year made a total of 18 conversions and 13 by letter. There were a few being received into the church by experience and by letter all along as well as those calling for their letters to join some other church,but we see no letters were granted to any person who was not in good standing with the church. In 1861 Toro became pastorless due to the death of their pastor William L. Sibley. Nathan H. Bray was called and accepted, serving for the next few years. In 1865 Rev. Ishan Nettles McCollister was called and served for a number of years. In 1876 Rev. Matthias Scarbough (son-in-law of W. L. Sibley) was called but there is no way of knowing how long he served. (The information about Brothers McCollister and Scarborough servinsas pastors was taken from Paxton's History of La. Baptist). From the time of the church's organization until 1866 the church minutes give a complete history of the church and its activities with the following serving as church clerks: R. F. Sibley Jr., Eli Self, and W. Shaffer Ellzey, with Brother Ellzey serving from 1852 until 1866 and possibly longer. Because no records for this period of 1866-1891 were availablethere is no way of knowing what transpired, but beginning in 1891 some few notes on the work, wioth one stating that a Brother Stinger preached in the absence of the pastor. Then in 1892 Brother Atwood was called as pastor. In 1894 Rev. J. D. Ford becme pastor, then in 1898 he was called for an indefinite time, which leads us to think that he might have been pastor all this time. Brother Sam C. Self was licensed to preach in July 1894 in conference of the church. Latger we find his ordination set for January 24, 1899 with the church being instructed to invite Rev. W. R. Brown, G. G. Starks and W. C. Southwell to assist in the service. In 1899 while Rev. L. M. Cole was serving as pastor it seemed that the church had only one deacon and he being Brother J. Coleman Sibley. Brother Sibley tendered his resignation as deacon. The church refused to accepthis resignation saying that they felt that he was the right man in the right place. The church promised to look out for a man to ordain to assist him in the work. Many times in the minutes we find where Brother Sibley was called on to be moderator in the absence of the pastor and other important places as well. Beginning in 1899 the following preachers served as pastors of Toro: L. M. Cole 1899, B. F. Brown 1901, J. m. Pate 1902, J. B. Law 1906, J. H. Ricks 1910, T. W. Behan 1914, J. B. Law 1915, Ambrose Ellzey 1916, J. C. Fonderan 1917, L. C. Dowden 1921, W. G. Bailey 1922, Sam C. Self 1924, W. J. Ross 1925, H.A. Phillips 1927, W. J. Ross 1928, W. G. Bailey 1931, J. T. McCormick 1937, V. R. Miller 1942, Lee Counts 1943, Ott Coburn 1944, H. W. Reed 1945, Ed Shufflin 1949, N. G. Moody 1950, W. E. Leach 1955, E.c. Browning 1956 and the present pastor Rev. Willie NOlen called in the fall of 1961. Other preachers that served in some capacity but not as pastors are: W. M. Lilly, J. D. Wilson, J. H. Winbery, Houston Branch, Henry Chance, Lee Snell, John T. Walters, and J. P. Stockman. Clerk of the church from the time of the late 1800's and up to the present (1962) are: Henry S. Ellzey, B. C. Arthur, J. M. McCormick, W. L. Hardin, D. D. Dowden, W. L. Lee, S. F. Ellzey, G. Z. Corley, Howard Arthur and Dan Shelly Chance.Other names we find that have served in prominent places or represented their church at associational meetings are: J. W. Daniels, J. W. Ellzey, Clyde Dowden, Johnnie Lee, Morgan Jackson, Leon Law and Louie Strickland. On January 3, 1946 the church started a building fund getting ready to build a new church, havingbuilt twice already, with the first one being a log house. At this meeting in January 1946 a committee was appointed to tear the old building down. The regular church services were held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Jackson until the new church could be used. A lovely white frame building now stands at Toro, with the faithful members carrying on the good work even tho they be few in number. TORO BAPTIST CHURCH, ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 21, 1848 Charter Members 70 Pastor William L. Sibley