About

In the year of our Lord and Savior 1939, a few dedicated saints organized the Ideal Missionary Baptist Church. The church was located on the corner of Hill and Willow St. in the Fair Park area of Dallas. Then, the late Rev. Lott served as pastor and led the church for six years.

In 1946, the Ideal Missionary Baptist relocated to Fitzhugh Avenue under the leadership of Rev. P. T. Shaw until 1964. Due to the membership growth, the church evolved to the Oak Cliff area and was renamed Greater Ideal Baptist Church. Not long after that, the church moved again to the corner of Exeter and Hale Street, then in 1968, GIBC moved to 3010 ½ Overton Road, where we rented the upstairs in the education building of the New Cliff Baptist Church. Rev. P. T. Shaw resigned as pastor after 22 years of faithful service. Rev. S. D. Breaux was then called as pastor in September 1968 and served until 1970. Through God’s unmerited favor, GIBC purchased the new Cliff Baptist Church building at 3010 Overton Road in May of 1969.

Rev. Joe B. White served as pastor from latter part of 1970 to 1973. Enduring the change in leadership, faithful members sought God for direction for pastoral leadership and He answered their prayers. With an eternal love for God and His people, Rev. LD Thomas was called to serve and lead in 1973. Pastor Thomas served with a heart of gratitude and servanthood towards God and God’s people.

On the Saturday before Easter in April of 1981, the sanctuary was destroyed by fire. Through faith, GIBC marched back into the new sanctuary in October 1981, grateful for the restoration and dedication of its members. The church began to evolve and new ministries were established according to the visions that God entrusted Pastor LD Thomas with.

In 1992, the Robert L. Bates, Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund was established. This act of love was named after a faithful deacon of GIBC, community activist and life-long educator. Since its induction, GIBC have blessed numerous young people with scholarships to support their efforts in attending institutes of higher learning.

GIBC prides itself in giving back to others and supporting the needs of the community. Many acts of kindness takes place in and outside of the church, which meets the needs of God’s people. As a result of our late pastor, Rev. LD Thomas’ visions and church financial programs, we broke ground on our current dwelling place October 19, 2003. Pastor Thomas was excited and elated that GIBC had met its financial goals and was able to move forward with yet another vision that God bestowed upon him, but after 30 years of devoted and loyal service to GIBC, the Lord called Pastor LD Thomas home on November 23, 2003.

While keeping the faith and the vision of Pastor LD Thomas, at 10:00 A.M. on September 12, 2001, with much praise, pride, and joy, we marched from our old church building location, into our newest church facilities located at 3610 Bonnie View Road. Our entrance service was held months late on April 3, 2005 and was commemorated with a Proclamation from the City of Dallas presented by former City Councilwoman Maxine Thornton-Reese, making that day Dr. LD Thomas Day

After more than a year without a leader, Rev. Steven Sims was called. He served as pastor for over three years. In 2008 the church experienced another transition; after which Rev. Terrance R. Johnson was called in November of that year, to serve as Pastor of our beloved church. The church again, went through a pruning period in 2011, but God saw fit to grant us favor and sent Rev. Jermaine L. Simms as our pulpit conductor. Later the next year the church elected to embrace God’s calling of Rev. JL Simms to be our beloved pastor in November 2012.

Pastor Simms upbringing in the Church of God In Christ contributes to the fact that he is a well-diverse preacher and teacher. He believes that we are not defined by denomination, race, or age. His vision is for the body of Christ to grow collectively, in unity for the cause of Christ’s mission. His love of God, the people of God, and the lost, has led him to embark on a visionary plan for GIBC which includes but is not limited to; Worship in The Word Bible Study, Feeding the community and the underprivileged just to name a few. As our church has grown down through the years, so have our ministries. The committed and faithful members, whom have given of their time, talents, and finances to advance the cause of Christ, can rejoice in the assurance of a work well done. We want to continue to build on our history that is filled with sacrifice, commitment, faith, and prayer, as we look forward to the challenges and goals of our tomorrow. In July 2022, a shift took place as Pastor Jermaine L. Simms completed his assignment with us.

On Sunday May 28, 2023, Rev. James H. Alexander, Jr. was elected Pastor of the GIBC. On Sunday June 4, 2023, he preached his first sermon as pastor. He was born and raised in Waco, Texas; as he always say “254 is the area code, don’t get it twisted.”