Woods New Hope Baptist Church

Residents of the Woods community established a Baptist church in 1855. Members first met in a structure that was also used for worship by Methodists and as a schoolhouse. The congregation later constructed a building here, on property deeded by James Hooker; a storm destroyed the strucutre in 1917, and it was replaced in 1919. Since its early years, the church has assisted those in need. The congregation has also focused on education, and contributed to domestic and foreign missions. Today, Woods New Hope Baptist Church is one of the remaining vestiges of the once-thriving Woods community. It remians a spiritual leader for residents in Panola County. (2008)