By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
FOREST HILL, La. (LBM) – Almost 150 Baptist churches in Louisiana, five other states and Paraguay may not realize they share a common bond inside their baptistries.
Phil Preddy, who died in 1995, spent decades painting murals of scenes depicted in the Bible that were placed inside baptistries of churches in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Paraguay (some of those worship centers have been destroyed by hurricanes, fire, floods or tornadoes). Such was a labor of love for a man who did not charge churches for his work but only wanted to honor the Lord by using his artistic gift.
His daughter, Judi Kent, who along with her husband, Tom, served as International Mission Board medical missionaries in Paraguay for 33 years and recently paid a visit to view one of his paintings at Elwood Baptist Church, Forest Hill. His granddaughter also served as an IMB missionary and a great granddaughter is nearing her departure for mission work (their names and locations are with held because of security reasons).
“God had given him the talent of art, and he wanted to give back to the Lord in a way that would have a presence in baptisms,” Kent told the Baptist Message. “He wanted to challenge the pastors and churches to be reminded to keep their baptistries wet.”
Born in Rogers, Texas, Preddy moved to Crowley in 1921 to sell farming equipment. He married Ruth Roller in 1924 and shortly afterward painted scenery on a float that won an award at the International Rice Festival in Crowley.
Preddy then moved to New Orleans in the 1940s to work as display manager for Krauss Company and remained in that position until he was 90. He painted more than 150 murals, including his first at Elysian Fields Baptist Church, New Orleans (which was later destroyed by Hurricane Katrina).
Other locations in New Orleans where his artwork appeared included First Baptist Church, where he was a long-time member, the Baptist Friendship House, and the Sellers Home and Adoption Center. One of his paintings was even featured in an issue of the Cable magazine, which was published by the New Orleans Federation of Churches.
Preddy signed each painting with a monogram that contained the initials J and P, along with the year he completed each piece of artwork.
Alabama
First Baptist Church, Eufala
Wagarville Baptist Church
Hokes Bluff Baptist Church, Gadsden
First Baptist Church, Citronelle
First Baptist Church, Silas
Manafalia Baptist Church
Myrtlewood Baptist Church
Aimwell Baptist Church, Sweetwater
Arkansas
First Baptist Church, Huttig
Florida
First Church of the Nazarene, Pensacola
Louisiana
Elysian Fields Baptist Church, New Orleans
Carrolton Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans
Napoleon Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans
Valance Street Baptist Church, New Orleans
Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans
Alluvial City Mission
Chalmette Baptist Church
Trinity Baptist Church
Lakeview Baptist Church
Edgewater Baptist Church, New Orleans
Plum Orchard Baptist Church
First Baptist Church, New Orleans
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary chapel
Friendship House, New Orleans
Baptist Mission, New Orleans
Pakerson Avenue Baptist Church, Crowley
Christian Baptist Church, Crowley
Midway Baptist Church, Jena
Southside Baptist Church, Natchitoches
Goodpine Baptist Church
First Baptist Church, Maplewood
First Baptist Church, Morgan City
First Baptist Church, Port Barre
Union Avenue Baptist Church, Bogalusa
Hebron Baptist Church, Bush
Enon Baptist Church
First Baptist Church, Norwood
First Baptist Church, Norco
St. Amant Baptist Church, Sorrento
Paradis Baptist Church
First Baptist Church, Taylor
Calvary Baptist Church, Cullen
Oakgrove Baptist Church, Rhinehart
Central Baptist Church, Wisner
Erwinville Baptist Church, Baton Rouge
Southside Baptist Church, Baton Rouge
Fellowship Baptist Church, Trout
Beulah Baptist Church, Cheneyville
First Baptist Church, Marion
First Baptist Church, Farmerville
Ingleside Baptist Church, Shreveport
Woerner Park Nazarene Church, Shreveport
Linwood Baptist Church, Shreveport
Caddo Heights Baptist Church, Shreveport
Baskin Baptist Church
Big Cane Baptist Church, Morrow
Standard Baptist Church, Olla
First Baptist Church, Haynesville
First Baptist Church, Port Sulphur
Monroe Street Baptist Church, Bogalusa
Don Avenue Baptist Church, Denham Springs
Marksville Baptist Church
Ponchartrain Baptist Church, New Orleans
Lees Creek Baptist Church, Bogalusa
Palestine Baptist Church, Bogalusa
First Baptist Church, Merryville
Pride Baptist Church
Lone Pine Baptist Church, Winnsboro
Oak Grove Baptist Church, Winnsboro
Vincent Settlement Baptist Church, Sulphur
Southside Baptist Church, Sulphur
Gibsland Baptist Church
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Lafayette
Houston River Baptist Church, Sulphur
Elwood Baptist Church, Forest Hill
Empire Baptist Church
Sellers Home, New Orleans
Mississippi
Black River Baptist Church, Daleville
Friendship Baptist Church, Morton
Salem Baptist Church, Collins
Crystal Springs Baptist Church, Tylertown
First Baptist Church, Lumberton
Eastside Baptist Church, Greenville
Second Baptist Church, Greenville
East Howard Baptist Church, Biloxi
Union Baptist Church, Meridian
Agricola Baptist Church
New Prospect Baptist Church, Brookhaven
East Moss Point Baptist Church, Moss Point
Bethany Baptist Church, Slate Springs
West Ellsville Baptist Church
Union Baptist Church, Tylertown
Baron Baptist Church, Lucedale
Baptist Building chapel, Jackson
Primitive Baptist Church, Jackson
Friendship Baptist Church, Kreole
Border Springs Baptist Church, Columbus
Magnolia Street Baptist Church, Laurel
Westside Baptist Church, Laurel
First Baptist Church, Escatawpa
Hermanville Baptist Church
Providence Baptist Church, Cleveland
Springhill Baptist Church, Poplarville
Foxworth Baptist Church
Crooked Creek Baptist Church, Silvercreek
Ebenezer Baptist Church, Liberty
First Baptist Church, Weir
McCool Baptist Church
McLauren Baptist Church, Hattiesburg
Pittsboro Baptist Church
Derma Baptist Church
Second Baptist Church, Indianola
Big Creek Baptist Church
East Philadelphia Baptist Church
Taylorville Baptist Church
Airport Baptist Church, Grenada
Williamsville Baptist Church, Kosciusko
Macedonia Baptist Church, Calhoun City
Macedonia Baptist Church, Brookhaven
Church of Christ, Calhoun City
Rock Bluff Baptist Church, Morton
Jesus Saves Tabernacle, Florence
Springville Baptist Church, Slate Springs
Amazing Church of God in Christ, Jackson
Fellowship Class, Belmont
Williamsburg Baptist Church, Collins
Byrd Chapel, Meadville
South Carolina
Harleyville Baptist Church
