Dr. Porter M. Bailes

Dr. Porter M. Bailes, born on March 28, 1888, in York County, South Carolina, was one of ten children of Zachary Taylor Bailes and Ellen Hill Bailes. At the age of ten he joined Flint Hill Baptist Church, and at eighteen was its Sunday School superintendent. His early education came from earnest Christian parents and from country elementary schools. He entered Mars Hill College of North Carolina in 1906 to prepare for a business career, with special consideration for the profession of law. His cousin. George Lewis Bailes, was then a ministerial student, but in the course of time became the lawyer while Porter M. Bailes became the minister.

In the fall of 1908 Porter Bailes enrolled in Furman University at Greenville, South Carolina, obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1912. In his junior and senior years he was the roommate of Robert G. Lee, Memphis. Tenn., who was from his home community. While a junior, Porter Bailes represented Furman Universitv in the State Oratorical Contest in which he was awarded second place. He holds three awards for excellence in oratory.

His acceptance of the call to the ministry came during his junior year at Furman University, after a promise to God that he would enter the ministry if God would open a pastorate to him without his solicitation. When an invitation to supply a country church with the view of a call came, he accepted it and his ministry started at the Columbia Baptist Church of Greenville County in South Carolina.

The young student graduated from Furman University in 1912. At the beginning of the fall semester he entered the Southern Baptist Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky, where he received the Master of Theology degree in 1915. He did resident work for the Doctor of Divinity degree and stood a successful examination, but did not write the required thesis.

While a student in the seminary he was pastor of Tea Creek Baptist Church in Indiana, Mt. Lebanon and Burks Branch Baptist churches in Kentucky. After receiving his Master of Theology degree, he was pastor one year in La Grange, Kentuckv. He was married June 24, 1914 to Sarah Withers Button of Bedford, Kentucky, a student in the W. M. U. Training
School, Louisville, Kentucky.

A unanimous call came to him in 1917 from the First Baptist Church, Greer, South Carolina, where he remained nine years. A nine room parsonage and a $75,000 church were erected, and the membership increased from two hundred eight to eighthundred twenty-four.

Two sons were born to Porter M. and Sarah Bailes while living in Greet. They are Porter M. Bailes. Jr., born April 25, 1918, and Joe Dean Bailes, born November 25, 1922. Both ate fine, loyal Christian young men.

Porter Jr., who is married and has two children, is a young doctor practicing medicine in Dallas, Texas.

Joe Dean is married and attending (in 1950) the law school at Baylor University.

A lovely niece, Ella Mae Bailes, of South Carolina, has made her home with the family for many years and is on the faculty of the Tyler Public Schools.

Dr. Bailes accepted the call in 1926 to the First Baptist Church of Lakeland, Florida. Remaining with the church three years, he received into its membership more than eleven hundred members. Following his pastorate in Florida, he has been in frequent demand there, returning for many types of service.

Coming to Tyler from Lakeland, Florida, Dr. Bailes began, May 1, 1929, his challenging duties. Overcoming many difficulties, he has accomplished enormous tasks. He has been energetic in developing the material and spiritual life of the church. In his first year he conducted the revival and has brought the following ministers for annual meetings: J. Dean Crane, a personal friend and co-worker from South Carolina, Dr. George W. Truett, Dallas; Dr. W. R. White, Ft. Worth, now president of Baylor University; Dr. Robert G. Lee, Memphis, Tennessee; Dr. Marshall Craig, Dallas; the late Dr. J. B. Tidwell, Waco; Dr. H. D. Bruce, Midland, Texas, now president of East Texas Baptist College, Marshall; Dr. Ferguson, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Dr. W. H. Knight, Shreveport, Louisiana; Rev. James Cramer, Denver, Colorado; Dr. Chestor Swor, Jackson, Mississippi; Dr. W. L. Hawse, Kansas City, Missouri; Dr. Ellis Fuller, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky; Dr. E. D. Head, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary at Ft. Worth; and Dr. C. E. Hereford, Corpus Christi Texas.

The pastor had a vision of the needs of a growing city at the beginning of his pastorate. The church soon began the erection of the present parsonage, which was completed in 1931. Not satisfied until more was accomplished, Dr. Bailes' enthusiasm inspired a friend and member of the church, T. 0. Wright to aid in his program. His gifts helped make possible the Educational Building, which was dedicated as a memorial to his wife, the late Lillie Belle Wright. Sunday School children and adults of the church completed the contribution.

When the building was finished and entered December 8, 1935, it was free of debt. It was dedicated November 14, 1937. After the successful completion of the parsonage and educational building and realizing the need for an enlarged auditorium the church voted to remodel the main building. The work started in the spring of 1939; the building was finished and services began September 24, the same year. The church gave the pastor a trip to the meeting of the Baptist World Alliance in Atlanta, Georgia during that summer.

Even though the pastor has many local duties and responsibilities, Dr. Bailes has time and interest for other organizations and institutions. For many years he has been a member of the board of trustees of the East Texas Baptist College of Marshall, Texas; has held elective offices, and has been moderator of the Smith Countv Association; has been an officer in the east Texas Workers conference and Texas Baptist Convention. At Mineral Wells, in 1936, he was the president of the Pastors' and Layman's conference. In May 1936, he returned to Greer, South Carolina, to preach the dedication sermon for the church erected during his pastorate. He delivered the commencement address for the Baylor Medical School in Dallas in 1937. Other activities have been the preaching of sermons at the annual revivals at Baylor University, appearing on the program of three Texas encampments at Palacios, Leuders, and Alto Frio, and speaking to the Sunday School Headquarters Staff, Nashville, Tennessee in 1940. Dr. Bailes has preached three of the annual commencement sermons for the Tyler High School and Junior College and three sermons for the annual civic Thanksgiving service. In 1942 he returned to his alma mater, Furman University, to receive the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In 1945 he delivered the annual sermon at the Texas State Baptist Convention in Amarillo. While he and Mrs. Bailes were on the summer foreign tour in 1947, Dr. Bailes preached in the First Baptist Church, Rome, Italy.

Serving the Lord with his pen, Dr. Bailes is the author of three books, "Revival Sermons," published in 1938; "Lift your Skyline," appearing in 1940; and "In Quest of the Best," which came out in 1944. He is the author of numerous tracts and articles, one of which, "Why I am a Baptist," is presented by the church to each convert after his baptism as a certificate of church membership.

In 1947 the church granted a three-months leave of absence with expenses to enable Dr. and Mrs. Bailes to attend the Baptist World Alliance in Copenhagen, Denmark in July. Their tour included visits to the Scandinavian Peninsula and other Western European Countries, and to, the British Isles. They returned to the United States on September 12, the trip having broadened their already rich travel experience.

A distinctive neon church sign was installed at the corner of West Ferguson Street and North Bois d'Arc Avenue, with two smaller signs designating the Educational Building and Church Annex which were dedicated after the Wednesday evening prayer service January 6, 1948.

The church membership on March 1, 1948 was three thousand two hundred
ninety two.

Dr. Bailes' successful ministry stems from his sincerity; his love of preaching the gospel, his missionary spirit his interest in youth, and his understanding of adults. His service with this noble church has continued longer than any other pastor preceding him. God has blessed his work of the church with more than five thousand members during his pastorate. Nineteen men have been licensed or ordained, and one young woman has offered herself for work in the foreign mission field. It is through his humility and dependence upon the Father for divine guidance that he has been able to "lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes" in his ministry of evangelism. Dr. Porter M. Bailes was a master builder in this growing and vigorous First Baptist church of Tyler, Texas.