In the year Nineteen Hundred and Three (1903), a group of ministers and laymen met and organized a Baptist church in Kincheonville, Texas. The church provided spiritual nourishment for this community and the surrounding areas. This plot of land was given to the church by Mr. Strickland, Mr. Joe Davis and Mr. Rick Dawson. The name they gave this church was Zion Rest Missionary Baptist Church. For years the church was used for a school, and the first teacher was Mrs. Dina Taylor. The first church built by the organizers, stood in back of the old sanctuary and served as a fellowship hall. Some of the ministers who participated in the church’s organization and early leadership were Rev. H. J. Jackson, Rev. Elijah Kincheon, for whom the neighborhood was named, and Rev. W. N. Jones, Rev. R. M. Dunn, Rev. W. M. Reed, Rev. J. H. Howard, Rev. A. R. Evans, Rev. H. E. Smith and our present pastor, R. E. Foster.
Our church through the leadership of its ministers and the congregation has continually progressed spiritually and physically. After a period of sixty years, under the leadership of Rev. A. R. Evans, a new church was constructed and the cornerstone was laid on August 8, 1965. The late J. H. Howard was pastor when this indebtedness was paid off.
The Rev. H. E. Smith’s leadership led to the construction of a new fellowship hall, which was completed November 13, 1978. On March 6, 1979, a cement walkway leading to the hall was added. This fellowship hall was completely destroyed by fire. The Lord continued to bless us. In 1984, on the twenty-first day of May, R. E. Foster became pastor. Under the leadership of Pastor Foster with the deacons and congregation, ground was broken, and the construction of a new edifice began that included a fellowship hall, office spaces, choir room, Pastor’s Study, and Baptistery. In 1988, the new Sanctuary was completed, and the old sanctuary was remodeled to match the new one. Celebration was held on November 5, 1995.
After that debt was paid off, the church purchased property across the street (3341 Paisano Trail). This property consists of 7.5 acres of land which includes an over 2,000 square foot home, with a portion currently being used for parking. After this purchase was paid off in 2002, we were able to hire four members as full-time staff and one part-time person. God continues to bless our church with members who have many God-given gifts and talents that help to increase and flourish His kingdom. The person holding the longest membership, Deacon Sidney Morris, is still in attendance.
June 1, 2005, a board of Trustees that include eleven members was appointed. Also, starting June 2005, we held our first Christian Summer Day Camp for children kindergarten (K) through fifth (5th) grades. Sister Rose Stewart was instrumental in coordinating this successful project.
During August of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Zion Rest provided our parsonage as temporary housing for several families to reside. One family remained with us for a year. It was a blessing to be able to provide housing for them. The membership collected and set up a Clothes Closet for other Katrina evacuees which included a variety of household items. The remaining twenty boxes of items were donated to the Salvation Army to help other displaced families.
With God in our plans, as a church we began the Building Fund for our new vision. In 2007, as we continue to make our vision a reality, we met with the State Senate subcommittee to obtain variance on Barton Creek Watershed Zone. We were granted additional usage of the 7.5 acres as long as we meet all the requirements. God has truly blessed and kept us thus far and we are depending on him for our future existence.