To Mineola natives, he’s known as MISD Superintendent Cody Mize.

But to some in Cartwright, a small, unincorporated community halfway between Quitman and Winnsboro, he has a different title – “Pastor Mize.”

Mize pastors Cartwright Baptist Church, which has been standing in the spot for more than 80 years. Many community members who grew up in Cartwright lived there, went to school in the community center, went to church at the Baptist church, and even now still populate the church and the surrounding area.

It’s not only the church itself that stands out. Church members, assisted by appreciative members of the community, have begun a renovation on the Cartwright Community Center, which is located next door to the newly renovated church.

Members of CBC have big plans for what is actually a very big community center. Although it looks like a normal-sized building from the outside, the huge building has more than ample room for the food bank, emergency overnight apartment with ADA bathroom, gospel singing meetings, reunion areas, kitchen and more that they plan for the space. They are also making sure to provide other opportunities such as an outdoor playground. 

“The main thing is going to be outreach for the community,” said Mize. “And that’s where the focus will be – how can we help and serve the community, and help others that live in this general area, and provide some basic needs and services for them?”

In accordance with their focused outreach perspective, some church members have taken to calling the someday-completed building the “Light of Hope.” 

“There’s been a vision…for a long time. And it’s becoming a reality, and people are getting more excited,” said Dan Mills, the “Next Steps” committee head who has been hard at work gutting the building so that it can be renovated and made into something special.

“It’s gonna be fantastic when we’re finished,” said Jan Cox. 

The building was built in the 1940s, but burned down sometime afterward and was rebuilt. It functioned as a schoolhouse until 1964, when the school closed and its students merged with the Winnsboro ISD and the Quitman ISD.

Dark hardwood floors, remainders of the building’s days as a schoolhouse in the 1960s, still remain, as well as old-fashioned soaring ceilings and huge windows to let in more daylight.

“It was way ahead of its time or way behind times, I’m not sure which of them you want to call it,” said Mills. “We’ve been deconstructing, not demolishing, because we’re trying to save some of the stuff…as much of that as possible.”

While CBC doesn’t yet have a time stamp on their estimated completion date, they eagerly look forward to the day their Light of Hope will be completed.

As they wandered throughout the old building and sat chatting in their church, this feel-good group had not one unkind word to say or argument to make. Their smiles, laughter and memories filled the echoing rooms of the old schoolhouse, which in and of itself had some history to remind its inhabitants of, too. 

To find out more information, volunteer or otherwise support the cause, call the project’s fundraising committee head, Doug Richie, at 903-497-4170.

Cartwright Baptist holds a pre-service Bible study for all ages at 10 Sunday morning, followed by services at 11.