First Baptist Church
Worship with us at FBC
Sunday school 9:30 am
Worship at 10:30 am
Bible Study at 5:00 pm
Wednesday
Prayer Meeting at 6:00 pm
Kids and Youth at 6:00 pm
Romans 10:9 — “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
- A FBC former Pastor
Remembering Rev. J. R. Reedy: A Pastor in the History of First Baptist Church Eupora
The history of First Baptist Church of Eupora is made up of generations of faithful Christians and pastors who have served the Lord and helped shape the spiritual life of our community. One of those pastors was Rev. J. R. Reedy, also known as Rev. John Raymond Reedy.
Historical records confirm that Rev. Reedy served First Baptist Church in Eupora, Mississippi, during an earlier chapter of the church’s ministry.
A Minister to the Eupora Community
Rev. Reedy’s ministry extended beyond the walls of First Baptist Church. Newspaper records from the period identify him as a local Baptist minister and specifically as being “of the First Baptist Church.”
Like many pastors in small Mississippi communities, Rev. Reedy was called upon to minister not only to members of his own congregation but also to families throughout Eupora.
One surviving historical account describes a funeral at Eupora Methodist Church in which the Methodist pastor, Rev. M. E. Scott, was assisted by Rev. J. R. Reedy, local Baptist minister. Another account of a funeral held at a family residence in Eupora specifically identifies him as Rev. J. R. Reedy of the First Baptist Church.
These glimpses into the past show the important role local pastors played in the life of Eupora. Churches worked together, pastors ministered across denominational lines, and the Christian community came together during times of celebration, sorrow and need.
A Family Devoted to Christian Service
Rev. Reedy’s full name was John Raymond Reedy. He and his wife, Annie Laurie Cockerham Reedy, were connected with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, demonstrating their commitment to preparing for Christian ministry.
Their daughter, Annie Lynn Reedy Baldwin, was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1935, while her parents were at the seminary.
The Reedy family later made their home in Eupora, where Lynn spent much of her childhood. She began taking piano lessons at approximately seven years old and later became an accomplished musician and music educator.
The Christian influence of her parents remained with her throughout her life. Her obituary remembered a home in which children were taught that their talents were gifts from God and that those gifts should be developed and then used in service to Him.
Lynn carried that lesson throughout her life, serving as a church musician and teaching piano, organ and music theory for more than six decades.
Part of the Heritage of First Baptist Church
Although additional research is still being conducted to establish the exact beginning and ending dates of Rev. Reedy’s pastorate at First Baptist Church Eupora, surviving historical records clearly place him among the pastors who helped lead the church during the first half of the twentieth century.
His story reminds us that the history of a church is about more than buildings and dates.
It is the story of pastors who preached the Gospel, families who worshiped together, Sunday School teachers who taught children the Scriptures, musicians who used their talents for God, and church members who carried their faith into the community.
Rev. J. R. Reedy represents one chapter in that continuing story.
Today, First Baptist Church Eupora continues the same mission entrusted to generations before us — sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, loving people and making disciples.
As we uncover more of the history of First Baptist Church, we hope to preserve the stories of Rev. Reedy and the many other pastors, leaders and church members whose faithful service helped build the ministry we enjoy today.
First Baptist Church First Baptist Church Eupora
Love God | Love People | Make Disciples - Postcard is of the Eupora Cotton Yards and First Baptist Eupora is pictured in the backgrounds
Remembering Rev. J. R. Reedy: A Pastor in the History of First Baptist Church Eupora
The history of First Baptist Church of Eupora is made up of generations of faithful Christians and pastors who have served the Lord and helped shape the spiritual life of our community. One of those pastors was Rev. J. R. Reedy, also known as Rev. John Raymond Reedy.
Historical records confirm that Rev. Reedy served First Baptist Church in Eupora, Mississippi, during an earlier chapter of the church’s ministry.
A Minister to the Eupora Community
Rev. Reedy’s ministry extended beyond the walls of First Baptist Church. Newspaper records from the period identify him as a local Baptist minister and specifically as being “of the First Baptist Church.”
Like many pastors in small Mississippi communities, Rev. Reedy was called upon to minister not only to members of his own congregation but also to families throughout Eupora.
One surviving historical account describes a funeral at Eupora Methodist Church in which the Methodist pastor, Rev. M. E. Scott, was assisted by Rev. J. R. Reedy, local Baptist minister. Another account of a funeral held at a family residence in Eupora specifically identifies him as Rev. J. R. Reedy of the First Baptist Church.
These glimpses into the past show the important role local pastors played in the life of Eupora. Churches worked together, pastors ministered across denominational lines, and the Christian community came together during times of celebration, sorrow and need.
A Family Devoted to Christian Service
Rev. Reedy’s full name was John Raymond Reedy. He and his wife, Annie Laurie Cockerham Reedy, were connected with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, demonstrating their commitment to preparing for Christian ministry.
Their daughter, Annie Lynn Reedy Baldwin, was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1935, while her parents were at the seminary.
The Reedy family later made their home in Eupora, where Lynn spent much of her childhood. She began taking piano lessons at approximately seven years old and later became an accomplished musician and music educator.
The Christian influence of her parents remained with her throughout her life. Her obituary remembered a home in which children were taught that their talents were gifts from God and that those gifts should be developed and then used in service to Him.
Lynn carried that lesson throughout her life, serving as a church musician and teaching piano, organ and music theory for more than six decades.
Part of the Heritage of First Baptist Church
Although additional research is still being conducted to establish the exact beginning and ending dates of Rev. Reedy’s pastorate at First Baptist Church Eupora, surviving historical records clearly place him among the pastors who helped lead the church during the first half of the twentieth century.
His story reminds us that the history of a church is about more than buildings and dates.
It is the story of pastors who preached the Gospel, families who worshiped together, Sunday School teachers who taught children the Scriptures, musicians who used their talents for God, and church members who carried their faith into the community.
Rev. J. R. Reedy represents one chapter in that continuing story.
Today, First Baptist Church Eupora continues the same mission entrusted to generations before us — sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, loving people and making disciples.
As we uncover more of the history of First Baptist Church, we hope to preserve the stories of Rev. Reedy and the many other pastors, leaders and church members whose faithful service helped build the ministry we enjoy today.
First Baptist Church Eupora
Love God | Love People | Make Disciples
- From Adrian Rodger’s
Ponder This
Once in Oklahoma City there was a fire in an apartment. The flames were consuming that apartment, and there was a woman who’d been carried out by a fireman and was fighting to go back into the fire. She said, “My baby is in that apartment!” They had to hold her back because she surely would have perished. One fireman volunteered to go get her baby. He went up the ladder, through the window, into that smoke-filled room, and felt his way through. He found the baby crib, reached in and picked up that little bundle, held it close to him, and came back to the window, choking through the blinding smoke. The people gave a cheer as he handed the woman the bundle. But as she pulled the blanket back, she cried, “That’s not my baby. That’s my baby’s doll!”
I wonder if we’re going to come to the end of an age hugging the toys of this world when everything is going up in fire. My friend, the house, the car, and all these things—they’re not that important. What is important? The souls of men! I want to get as many to come with me as I can. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
- How can you be sure you are valuing the right things as you wait for the return of Jesus?
- How do we show others that they are more important than the “stuff” of the world?
Practice This
Have a conversation today to let another person know how much God values him or her.
- A Life Changed Through Praise 101.7
Sometimes God uses something as simple as a song on the radio to remind us that we haven’t been forgotten.
We recently heard from Ashley in Saraland, Alabama, who shared how listening to Praise 101.7 WEHS became a source of encouragement during one of the hardest seasons of her life.
Ashley was struggling to find work. Application after application seemed to lead nowhere, and the financial pressure was beginning to take its toll. At the same time, her young teenage twins were going through struggles of their own and had begun acting out at home.
Ashley felt overwhelmed. She was trying to be a good mother, trying to provide for her family, and trying to keep believing that things were going to get better.
Then she found Praise 101.7.
As she listened to the Christian music, Scripture, and encouraging messages, something began to change—not necessarily her circumstances overnight, but her heart.
Songs about trusting God reminded her that He was still working. Messages about hope reminded her that a difficult season wasn’t the end of her story. Instead of beginning each day focused on everything that was going wrong, Ashley began praying more and asking God to guide her family through the storm.
She also began talking more with her twins. The home that had been filled with frustration slowly began to have more prayer, conversation, forgiveness, and hope.
And then another door opened.
Ashley found work.
For her, it was another reminder that God had been with her through the entire journey—even during the days when she couldn’t see what He was doing.
Ashley’s story reminds us why Praise 101.7 WEHS exists.
We aren’t here simply to play Christian music. We want to be a ministry that reaches people wherever they are. Someone may be listening in their car, at work, at home, or hundreds of miles away through our online stream—and God can use the right song or message at exactly the right moment.
If you’re going through a difficult season today, Ashley’s story carries a simple message:
Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep trusting. God is still working.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Romans 12:12Thank you, Ashley, for allowing your story to encourage others.
Praise 101.7 WEHS-LP — More Than a Radio Station.
A Ministry of First Baptist Church Eupora.