Macedonia Missionary Church

Did you ever hear of a church that started in a Masonic Hall? Right here in Dallas, the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church has a unique origin story. Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church was officially organized on a rainy October night in 1958. Reverend B.H. Wyatt, along with his father and another reverend, led the effort. While 120 people initially pledged their support, only eight brave souls showed up that night at the Masonic Hall on Webster Street. Among them were Rev. Wyatt’s wife, mother, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and the church’s first musician, Gwen McCoy. The Masonic Hall, rented for $12.50 a week, became their first home. They even rented chairs for $15 a month! Their first piano, a white upright, was purchased for $75. The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church quickly grew thanks to the dedication of its tithing members and a vibrant choir. In 1961, they moved to a converted shotgun house on Cowan Street. That same year, Rev. Wyatt left to pastor another church, only to return a few years later after a brief period under Rev. Timothy Prince’s leadership. Rev. Wyatt continued his service at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church until 1970. After a few years with another pastor, they called upon one of their own, Bennie Lawrence Wyatt, to lead them in 1972. He had been with the church since almost the very beginning. He began as a choir member, then a deacon, and then a minister. The Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church continued to flourish. They made a down payment on a property on Roper Street in 1975 and burned the mortgage on the Cowan Street property in 1979. The move to Roper Street was finalized in 1984. They even dedicated their original Cowan Street location as a Fellowship Hall in 1991. By 1999, the Roper Street property was fully paid off. Rev. Wyatt retired in 2005 after over thirty years of service to Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Rev. T.W. Kennedy took the helm, ushering in a new chapter in this church’s fascinating journey.