Driving on West Highway 248 from Waldron you may notice a church set back off the road at the bottom of a hill. When then sun is high in the morning the front of the fellowship hall is brightly illuminated showcasing a beautiful array of flowers along the buildings. Maybe you have wondered the history of this church!
The building has been standing since 1868 and was originally known as Poteau Baptist Church. (Winfield as a community would not be established until 1882.) All churches in Western Arkansas south of the Arkansas River and north of Mena were in the Dardanelle Baptist Association. At that time the church was just the one small two-story building that served as the sanctuary. Sunday School was added to the church in 1879.
In September 1957 Poteau Baptist Church became Winfield Baptist Church, under Pastor Bro. Elton Pennington, and remained that to present day. The church added the block bathrooms still to the south of the church in 1970. The inside bathrooms were added in 1980, and a fellowship hall was created beside the original sanctuary. That is where the Sunday School classrooms are now, with more classrooms being added in and the buildings connected in 1994.
Back in 1988 a group of men came together and formed Nailbenders for Jesus. They are still established and working to carry out their mission today. Back during the fall of 2000 they came to Winfield to help build the new sanctuary. Their goal at Winfield was to handle the framing and make the building dry and ready to finish the interior construction. Another crew came in and helped finish the inside.
Memories are funny, I think sometimes I remember things more because I have seen photos of them. As I type this, I have the foggiest memory of the church still being in the old sanctuary. This I would presume is more due to the fact I have seen photos of it. And even though I was very young (not quite 5 from looking at the dates), I have another foggy memory of what it looked like when the new Sanctuary was built. I can remember playing with some of the other youth when the church was just concrete and someone twisted their ankle. A personal anecdote that really has nothing to do with the history of the building, but as someone who was raised in this church it’s a fond thought for me to remember.
The former sanctuary building became the fellowship hall, and the fellowship hall became the Sunday School building. The building stood the test of time, but as old buildings do, it needed some attention recently. Last year work began to level the floors and repair the sloping that had occurred after being around for 156 years! Now the Winfield Fellowship Hall has had a complete facelift! New flooring replaced the carpets that had been in it for many years, and paint has been fixed throughout.
Since 2014 the church has had Bro. William Crelia as the pastor for Winfield Baptist Church. Winfield is presently part of the Buckner Baptist Association.
The history in this small church is rich! Hundreds of people have been through it over the years hearing the Gospel, the Baptism rates through the 1800s and 1900s were remarkable. Now it’s still standing with faithful members coming to fellowship and hear the Gospel in 2025. The original members probably had no idea the church would be standing for 157 years, but I bet they would be proud to know it and see it now. If you would like to attend a service and see the work that has been done, or if you are looking for something that only Jesus can provide services are Sunday School 10AM, Worship Service 11AM, Sunday Evening Service 6PM, Wednesday Service is at 6PM. The address is 9768 W Hwy 248 Waldron, AR 72958.
