Pastor Emeritus Leonard Barksdale

November 11, 1948 to May 14, 2018

Pastor Emeritus Barksdale is a native of Galveston, Texas. He is a graduate of Central High School, The University of Houston B.A., Houston Graduate School of Theology M.A., Thurgood Marshall School of Law J.D., College of Biblical Studies-Houston A.B.S., and Dallas Theological Seminary C.G.S. An accomplished trial lawyer, he accepted his call into the Gospel Ministry in 1992.

On August 10, 1974, Leonard N. Barksdale married Gladys Jewel Glass Barksdale. They have two daughters, Lea and Anita.

After forty years of marriage, and fighting a valiant battle with illness for over seventeen years, on November 11, 2014 Mrs. Gladys Jewel Glass Barksdale went home to be with the Lord. She truly fought a good fight, she finished her course, she kept the faith.

On May 16, 1994 Rev. Barksdale was called as Pastor of the Fifth Ward Missionary Baptist Church. As Pastor, he instituted numerous new ministries including a male and female mentor program called “Shoulder to Shoulder”; a community awareness committee, a drug ministry, a street preaching ministry; a prison ministry, a young adult ministry (YDC); a greeters ministry; an athletic ministry; the willing workers (a service ministry); a “FINE ARTS” ministry; “Holy Spoken Drama” an arts ministry; Divine Intelligent Virtuous Anointed Sistas (DIVAS); E-Waves – A computer literacy ministry; Women Looking Ahead (a young women’s mentoring ministry), a monthly newsletter, and the Faith Revitalization Center, Inc. (a 501C-3 corporation)( www.faithrevitalizationctr.org). In addition, the church in the year 2000, joined 9 other churches to build 2 new Habitat homes for deserving families. Each year the Church provided for the children of inmates during the Christmas Season with the Angel Tree Program.

Under his administration new classrooms and restrooms were built; new land was acquired; a new sign was erected on the corner of Waco and Noble streets; a new FWMBC web page was constructed; a new milliondollar Multi-Purpose Center was constructed; and the church library was renovated. In 2007, the tape ministry was upgraded to include a multimedia image enhancement system in the church sanctuary, and a computer lab was set up in the Carl Walker, Jr. Multi-Purpose Center. Additionally, a screen is now located in the church foyer depicting visual presentations. In 2014, FRC completely modernized the computer lab again.

Pastor Emeritus Barksdale emphasizes love for God, and love for one another as the foundation of his ministry.

“It is an honor to serve under the leadership of Pastor Criswell, as we pursue the high calling of Jesus Christ.”

– Pastor Emeritus Barksdale