Port Caddo Baptist Church was organized in the Old Knight School House on Upper Port Caddo Road (now Fern Lake Cut-Off Road) with 14 members on September 21, 1919. Bro. J. H. Daves, who led in the organization, was the first pastor.
The Building
In 1920 the congregation acquired a lot 150 feet square on Port Caddo Road, a part of its present property, and erected a small frame building. A parsonage was purchased in 1935 and a full-time program was begun. The original church building was torn down in 1949 and replaced by a larger brick building. In 1951 a wing was added to the educational unit and an additional 3 acres of land was purchased. A separate educational building was opened in 1954 providing 4000 square feet of additional floor space. The auditorium was enlarged and air conditioned and a new brick parsonage was built in 1956. In 1957 the congregation voted a ten year expansion program. The first unit in this plan, a modern nursery building, was opened in 1958. In 1977 the church completed paying the note on the remodeling and a contract was let for a multi-purpose building to be directly behind the nursery, and to be completed in early 1978. With the purchase of 12.2 acres of land and a house, in April of 1984, the church property grew.
The People
Over its century of existence, Port Caddo has ranged in size from the teens to the hundreds. Like many churches, it has gone through times of plenty and times of drought. Currently it runs several dozen on Sunday morning and has transitioned to a blended worship style to account for the variety of people in our services and to best honor God with songs that come from the heart. Many ministers and ministries have sprung out of Port Caddo as it has always been a place committed to preparing ministers and loving on those God has called on us to love.
A special celebration service was held on September 22, 2019 to celebrate its 100 years of existence and challenge each member to look to the future and who God would have us be over the next 100 years of existence.
