We have humble roots
ESBC has always known Murphysboro as its mission field.
Regardless of the location of a town, how it came to be established, or its size, all people need the saving grace of Jesus. Three men saw the need for a Southern Baptist Church in Murphysboro, so they bought a large tent from a circus and set it up on 14th street to preach.
The tent moved to the corner of 19th and Elm Street—where our church is today—and they continued to preach until a solid group of believers sought to form an official church body.
The Missionary Baptist Church of Murphysboro was organized on August 12th, 1933 following their six week tent meeting. The group of Christians began to meet in the house of their pastor, Rev. Marion Wilson. The lot that the church is built on today was purchased in 1934 for $134, and the group soon began building their one-room church.
Since then, many updates have been made to the building, including additions to the building to accommodate our growing church body. The most recent update is the gym/kitchen area on the west side of the building. Although the size of our church has changed since the beginning of Elm Street being founded, we have always had the same objective.
No matter where we meet, we have always wanted to make sure the message of salvation for all through faith in Christ was put forward. We hope that all who decide to worship with us hear that message and make the decision to become a follower of Christ.
