About Us
Welcome to St. Paul MBC @ Brandon
We are family.
We are men, women, children, plumbers, electricians, businessmen and women, students, teachers, motorcycle riders, athletes, artists, young, and old, but most of all we are family.
What We Believe
We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body, and the glory of his name. We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when borne by earthen vessels the gospel is still a precious treasure. To the task of making that treasure known in the power of the Holy Spirit we desire to dedicate ourselves anew.
ISA. 40:28; MATT. 28:19; EPH. 1:11
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God’s word to accomplish his purpose of salvation. The message of the Bible is addressed to all men and women. For God’s revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. He illumines the minds of God’s people in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses to the whole Church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God.
II TIM. 3:16; II PET. 1:21; JOHN 10:35
We affirm that there is only one Saviour and only one gospel, although there is a wide diversity of evangelistic approaches. We recognise that everyone has some knowledge of God through his general revelation in nature. But we deny that this can save, for people suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. We also reject as derogatory to Christ and the gospel every kind of syncretism and dialogue which implies that Christ speaks equally through all religions and ideologies. Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-man, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people. There is no other name by which we must be saved. All men and women are perishing because of sin, but God loves everyone, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God. To proclaim Jesus as “the Saviour of the world” is not to affirm that all people are either automatically or ultimately saved, still less to affirm that all religions offer salvation in Christ. Rather it is to proclaim God’s love for a world of sinners and to invite everyone to respond to him as Saviour and Lord in the wholehearted personal commitment of repentance and faith. Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we long for the day when every knee shall bow to him and every tongue shall confess him Lord.
GAL. 1:6-9;ROM. 1:18-32; I TIM. 2:5,6; ACTS 4:12
We exist to...
To honor and glorify God by obeying Jesus' command to make disciples of all people. We accomplish this through our Mission and Core Values.
“Come Grow Us”
The Vision: To teach the Lord Jesus Christ and prepare disciples for the ongoing of Jesus Ministry. Reaching out to those that are lost. Matthew 28: 19-20
Pastor James E. Nash- Born in Houston, Texas 1937. grew up in a neighborhood that was
so depressed “tears could have flooded the streets. He attended Houston Public Schools.
Graduated from Jack Yates High School. He joined the US Marines after graduating high school
and he married the love of his life Stella Holcomb. They have six children, fifteen grandchildren
and twenty-three great grandchildren.
He lives in that same neighborhood that beams with life. Pastor Nash was called into ministry by the age of thirty-five. Being called into the ministry traveling a journey going through several stages of life, being led by the Holy Spirit; he became the charismatic Pastor of St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church @Brandon by the age of thirty-seven. He has been the Pastor at St. Paul for forty-five years. Dealing with the ups and downs of leadership in a community church, he has seen the problems of the community through thick and thin. Pastor Nash’s vision was to keep his church in the Old Sunnyside area because that is where he was raised up and saw a need for change. Pastoring St. Paul for forty plus years, his roots in Sunnyside meant that he was deeply committed to helping the neighborhood flourish. Now an entirely new generation of residents have started to plant their roots back in Sunnyside as well. He wanted something different now, something better. He wanted to make a difference. Sunnyside’s comeback owes a lot to the efforts of Reverend Nash, whose larger-than-life presence in the community has been instrumental in rallying support and kindling community pride.
After establishing Sunnyside Place CDC and partnering with City of Houston HOPE, Pastor Nash helped transform the downtrodden Sunnyside of his childhood into a thriving neighborhood that continues to attract new affordable home construction and new residents eager to call the place home. The community had been neglected for so long but now it is thriving.
When you get so many new residents coming in, it really tells you what kind of community we
are building. Pastor Nash’s story illustrates just how indispensable the roles of community
leaders and organizations are to the change of the community.
Pastor Nash was determined to get the revitalization cause on the city’s radar. He personally
went around and took photos of the blight, the old houses, the weeded lots and brought them to
Bill White while he was still campaigning for Mayor. Lo and behold, he did become Mayor and
created the Houston HOPE program. Nash continued to work tirelessly to improve the quality of
life for the people of Sunnyside. He started a food give-a-way, getting food from the Houston
Food Bank to give out food once a month to the community. Feeding about three hundred to four
hundred people each month, that was his way of giving back to the community.
Pastor Nash also realized how important it was that residents feel safe, so he worked with the
Houston Police Department to increase police visibility and clean up crime in the area. After
helping to close a hot-sheet motel, his CDC bought the property and demolished the motel. It is a
perfect metaphor for the Houston HOPE philosophy that every once-blighted neighborhood has the potential to turn over a new leaf and turn over new ground. Pastor Nash remarked, I am still amazed to drive through his neighborhood and see all the positive changes that Sunnyside area has gone through. Highly respected in the city and state by officials and worked closely with
Mayors Bob Lanier, Lee P. Brown, Bill White, Annise Parker, and now Sylvester Turner. Police
chiefs, Clarence Bradford, Art Acevedo, Harold Hurtt.
Pastor Nash hosted the Sunnyside Community Voice television show. Co-hosted My
Brother’s Keeper radio show. He has hosted two community parades in Sunnyside. Pastor
Nash also traveled to Washington DC along with Red Cross Director Delores Hadnot to
represent the Southeast American Red Cross for the Katrina Disaster. As a Red Cross facility,
the Marcie Key Center housed mover three- hundred evacuees during the Katrina disaster.
Pastor Nash was selected to give the Inauguration prayer for Governor Gregg Abbot and
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Mick Anderson District Attorney
Other Affiliations: President Sunnyside Place Community Development Inc. Incorporated in
2003. President- WRIT Writers Assoc, a non-profit organization for the purpose of prison re-
entry, Providing apartments and skills training for job preparation. Campaign Treasure –
Councilmember @Large Michael Kubosh, Former Board member- Southeast American Red
Cross, former Secretary (H.M.A.C.) Houston Ministers Against Crime, Member (PACA) Police
and Clergy, Board Member- Harris County Public Defenders organization, Vice President-
Suinnyside South Park Super Neighborhood Civic Club. Worked with Senator Whitmire on
certain prisoner issues.
In 2009 Pastor Nash traveled to Washington D.C. with Rafael Hernandez of the Justice
Department on the James Byrd and Matthew Shepard Hate Crime bill. There is now a Hate
Crime Bill that enables investigation and prosecution for hate crimes. A Board Member for the
Sunnyside TIRZ. Spiritual Advisor for the Mayor’s program for building relationships between
community and police. Participated with MHMRA) Mental Health Mental Retardation
Association regarding the mental health crisis in Harris County.
Registered as a Harris County Community Service Restitution program. Pastor Nash has
served on several Boards. Pastor Nash is well known in the city and state for being supportive
and giving as needs arise for people in the community, city, county, and state. From the Jail
house to the state capital. He is an Icon in his community.
Having being led by the Spirit of God, in 1949, Pastor R. J. Smith set out to organize St. Paul
Missionary Baptist Church, 8301 Brandon Street, Houston, Texas 77051 on the corner of
Rosemont and Brandon, in the Sunnyside area. Pastor Smith served the church and ministered
the gospel to God’s people for 31 years. In 1979, Pastor Alex Tanner became the new leader of
St. Paul. He served his people until illness caused him to retire. In mid-1982, Pastor James E.
Nash was called to minister to God’s people and lead St. Paul into the future. Through his vision
and being led by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Nash had a divine vision for the church. His vision was
that one day; there would be a new a St. Paul. Being divinely led by the Spirit of God, his
dream was accomplished in 1991. A new church edifice was built at 8309 Brandon Street.
God gave our Pastor another vision in for a new fellowship hall and in 1999 we were blessed
with the Willie Lee Manning Fellowship Hall (named in honor of a long-time member). Pastor
Nash’s first vision was achieved, and growth continued to flourish at St. Paul. The Marcie L.
Keys Activity Center was constructed in 2001 and named in honor of another longtime member.
Pastor Nash wanted a safe place where the youth in and outside the church could have a safe
place for activities and entertainment. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure. Under
the leadership of Rev. James E. Nash and the Holy Spirit we will continue to grow. Under
Pastor Nash’s leadership the church is recognized throughout the community, city and has
received state recognition. Our love of service has expanded outside our church walls.
In 2002, Pastor Nash formed a nonprofit organization and named it, Sunnyside Place Community
Development Corporation. We became a CHODO with the City of Houston in 2008 and build
affordable housing for low to moderate income families. Pastor Nash presides as President over
the corporation with an Executive Director and a Board of seven people. In 2009 God blessed us
to sell our first home to one of our own members. In 2005 Marcie L. Keys became partners with
Harris County for the Community Service Restitution Program. In 2010 we started a Food Bank
and gave out food every month to the community. Now in 2016 God is still not through with us
yet. Pastor Nash has been a divine visionary for St. Paul and great plans are still in the works for
our Church and Activity Center and community. Spiritual growth and community involvement
continues flourish under the leadership of God and Pastor James Nash.
