Antioch Missionary Baptist Church has stood on the east side of San Antonio for more than ninety years, gathering a diverse congregation around the simple declaration that runs through everything the church does: "Antioch is Love." Worship takes place in a sanctuary built in 1974 at 1001 North Walters Street, with ministries extending across a 21,212-square-foot Sports Complex, the W.I. Rector Hall, and a Family Life, Education and Community Complex that anchor the church's work on Walters and Eross Streets. Today the congregation looks to Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. Kemp, MD, who has served as Senior Pastor since October 2009 and was honored in September with a 17th Pastoral Anniversary celebrated alongside First Lady Velma Willoughby Kemp.
Four Pastors, One Continuous Story
The church's history reads like a thread of pastors who shaped it without ever losing its center. On June 7, 1935, fifty-three believers met on the corner of Hayes and Gevers Streets and called Rev. Rufus Wilson as their first pastor. Worship began under a tent on Center Street, moved into a converted laundry building, then into a renovated dairy, where seventeen years of "God is able" preaching laid the foundation.
In 1952, at just twenty-two years old, Rev. John Joseph Rector became pastor and led for the next forty years. The church liquidated a $16,000 mortgage, more than doubled in size, developed the $1.25 million Antioch Village Housing Community (recognized by HUD as one of the city's most outstanding operations), and built the sanctuary where Antioch still worships today, overcoming an underground stream that complicated construction. The sanctuary was completed in 1974.
Following Pastor Rector's passing in 1993, Rev. Dr. E. Thurman Walker carried the church forward for sixteen years. He led a record-setting $500,000 budget year in 1993, founded Antioch Christian Academy in 1995 (twenty years of educating mind, body, and spirit), established the Antioch Community Transformation Network (ACTN) as a 501(c)(3) in 2000, launched a $7.5 million Family Life, Education and Community Complex, and opened the E. Thurman Walker Sports Complex in 2005. He also earned his Doctor of Ministry while leading the church.
After Dr. Walker's passing, Dr. Kenneth Kemp was called as Co-Pastor in September 2009 and became Senior Pastor on October 26, 2009. Under his leadership the church budget exceeded $2 million in his first year, the contemporary worship experience known as Recharge Zone was launched, youth, young adult, and discipleship ministries were expanded, and an endowed scholarship was established at ITC/Morehouse School of Religion in 2014. The COVID years pushed Antioch into a strong hybrid model with online giving and drive-through support services, and the church replaced its HVAC system and upgraded sanctuary lighting in 2023 at a cost exceeding $360,000, then symbolically burned the loan notes during its 90th Anniversary Celebration in June 2025.
Senior Pastor: Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. Kemp, MD
Pastor Kemp is a native of Tucker, Arkansas, and a board-certified physician in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and critical care medicine. He graduated with honors from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, completed his residency at Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, and served twenty-one years on active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, retiring at the rank of Colonel in 2009. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians and continues to practice as an active pulmonologist and adjunct clinical professor of medicine.
He was ordained a deacon in 1990, accepted his call into the gospel ministry in 1991, and was ordained in 1994. He served as interim pastor of True Vision Baptist Church in San Antonio, then as Assistant to the Pastor for Pastoral Care at Lewis Chapel Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before returning to Antioch. He is the lead editor of Lessons for Life: A Devotional for the Disciple and the author of A Servant's Heart: Tips for the Associate Minister and A Cry during Crisis.
Dr. Kemp is a member of the Baptist Ministers Union of San Antonio and Vicinity, the Community of Churches for Social Action, and the Guadalupe District Association, and serves as the National Director of the Health Awareness Team for the National Baptist Convention of America, Incorporated. He serves on the boards of the United Way of San Antonio, the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio, and BCFS Health and Human Services, and was inducted into the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff National Alumni Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Black Worship Clergy Hall of Fame of San Antonio in 2015.
First Lady Velma Willoughby Kemp
Velma Willoughby Kemp is a native of England, Arkansas, a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, and a 2023 graduate of the Masters Leadership Program of San Antonio. She has devoted herself to nonprofit and community service since 1999 and, since 2009, has served as First Lady of Antioch, leading the Erna Baker Food Bank and Clothing Ministry (which feeds hundreds of families each month), the Sisterhood Ministry, the Youth Department, and the Ministers, Deacons, Spouses, and Widows (MDSW) Ministry. She also helped establish Antioch as a Meals on Wheels distribution site serving San Antonio's Eastside and was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame in 2025. She serves as Vice President of the San Antonio Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Secretary of the Meals on Wheels San Antonio Board of Trustees, and Board Secretary of Stark College and Seminary.
Assistant Pastor Rev. Jessica Kemp
Rev. Jessica Monét Kemp, the Kemps' eldest daughter, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and accepted her call to the preaching ministry at Antioch on October 27, 2013. She preached her initial sermon on February 15, 2014, was licensed by her father, and has served as Minister of Children and Youth, then Minister of Children, Youth, and Young Adults, before becoming Assistant Pastor. She is a graduate of the University of Houston and earned her Master of Divinity with a concentration in Theology from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. In 2023 she was appointed Assistant University Chaplain at Trinity University. Her ministry is anchored in Romans 1:16-17: "The just shall live by faith."
Sunday Worship and Church School
Sunday morning at Antioch centers on a 10:00 AM worship service in the main sanctuary. The experience is rooted in traditional Baptist worship and is complemented by Recharge Zone, a contemporary expression of the same church family. A Sunday morning Rise Service is offered at 1:00 PM. The congregation is intentional about its liturgical and musical heritage while still finding room for the gospel energy and preaching style that characterize its Sunday gatherings.
Church School begins at 8:30 AM and runs the full range of generations, with classes meeting in the Sports Complex, W.I. Rector Hall, the Pastor's Conference Room, and the church basement. Each class has its own dial-in or Zoom credentials for those joining remotely, and named memorial classes (William Gray Memorial, Juanita Douglas Memorial, Bennie Carter and Rev. E.T. Walker Memorials, Mason New and Imogene White Memorials, Clara Byars and Oscar Williams Memorials, Medra Butler and Dixie Jones Memorials, Sledge Smith Memorial, Robert Mustiful Memorial, Truth Seekers, Imani-Umoja, Elementary, and Middle/High School) make up the Sunday School network. The Men of Antioch lead their own classes, and New Members meet in the Pastor's Upstairs Conference Room.
Wednesday Power-Up: The Mid-Week Rhythm
The "Wednesday Power-Up" has become Antioch's mid-week signature. Three back-to-back offerings keep the week anchored:
- 12:00 PM - Midweek Manna Service: a midday worship hour available in person and streaming live on Facebook and YouTube.
- 5:15 PM - Antioch Prayer Meeting: a dedicated prayer hour offered in person and via Zoom.
- 6:30 PM - Wednesday Word Bible Study & Worship: Bible study and worship with Pastor Kemp, in person and streaming on Facebook and YouTube.
This three-fold rhythm lets worshipers pop in at lunch, gather online from the office, or stay for the deeper Bible study after work, and the same cadence carries special series like the Antioch Film Festival ("Sermons Based on Movies") and the Rites of Passage finale.
Health Awareness, Mental Health, and Wellness
Antioch's Health Awareness Team (AHAT), led nationally by Pastor Kemp and locally by the Antioch Health Awareness Team, treats health and faith as one conversation. "Mental Health Monday" meets online via Zoom on selected Monday evenings at 6:30 PM, with topics that range from caregiver burnout ("Caring Without Collapsing") to estate planning ("Getting Your House in Order"). Sessions like "The Intersection Between Healthcare & Spirituality" and the "Lord, I'm Not Crazy" webinar have brought physicians, chaplains, and pastors to the screen. AHAT has also hosted First Aid Training on campus, the Black Family Wellness Expo, and the annual African American Citywide Seniors Conference, a free community event now in its twenty-first year.
Community Outreach and the East Side
Antioch sees itself as a church of the East Side as much as a church within it. The Erna Baker Food Bank and Clothing Ministry distributes groceries to hundreds of families each month and clothing to individuals and families in need. The church is a Meals on Wheels distribution site, helped establish other churches as distribution partners, and hosts the annual School Supply Drive, which gives away free backpacks, supplies, and gift certificates in the front parking lot. The Antioch Community Transformation Network (ACTN), a 501(c)(3), channels community development efforts, and the 21st Annual African American Citywide Seniors Conference, themed "United We Stand," welcomes adults aged 55 and older each fall.
Other recurring community events include the Brunch with the First Lady, the Antioch Cook-Off Competition in Rector Hall, an Author Meet and Greet and Book Signing series, and Rites of Passage for youth and young adults. Antioch also travels to sister congregations (the Alabama Trip and visits to churches like Little Hill Baptist Church in Gonzalez, Texas) and has hosted national bodies, including the National Baptist Convention of America Mid-Winter Board in 2019 and the NBCA, Inc. Congress of Christian Education.
Youth, Young Adults, and Children
"Kickin' it with the Kemps" gathers youth and young adults for a casual conversation with the pastor and first lady after the 10:00 AM service, typically in Rector Hall or the E. Thurman Walker Sports Complex. The Remnant Encounters pop-up Bible study series takes the young adult ministry off campus, with recent sessions meeting at places like Spin Coffee and Vinyl Shop on Nacogdoches Road for a deep dive into Ephesians. The SALT Ministry (Singles Living Truth) meets every fourth Saturday and welcomes single adults aged 18 and up.
Children's ministry is anchored by Church School on Sunday mornings, the Vacation Bible School ("The Illumination Station") held each summer with VBS 2026 running Monday through Friday with dinner at 5:00 PM and the opening session at 6:00 PM, and the annual Elevation Sunday in August that prays over students as they prepare for the new school year.
Music, Media, and the Building
Worship is led by Minister of Music & Fine Arts Earl Jackson Jr. and Music Director Earnest Porter, with the AV Ministry directed by Skip Wilson. Services are broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, and giving is processed through Givelify, both accessible through the church's online home. The Director of Building & Grounds, Jeff Conaway Jr., and Assistant Supervisor Jeff Conaway III oversee the campus, which includes the main sanctuary, the W.I. Rector Hall, the 21,212-square-foot Sports Complex that houses the Walker Sports Complex, the Pastor's Conference Room, the Daddy Ray Room, the Cannon Smith Conference Room, the dance room, bleachers, and additional meeting space, and the surrounding parking lots used for events like the School Supply Drive.
Visiting and Getting Connected
Sunday mornings begin with Church School at 8:30 AM, followed by worship at 10:00 AM. Parking is available on the church campus, and the church office can be reached at (210) 225-2452 for questions about classes, events, or how to get involved. Newcomers are welcomed at a periodic New Member Reception hosted by Pastor Kemp and the staff in Rector Hall, where new members can meet the team and learn more about the church's ministries. Online visitors can join services live through the Antioch YouTube channel and Facebook page, give through Givelify, and follow the church on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn for weekly announcements and updates.
Whether someone comes to Antioch for the 10:00 AM sermon, the Wednesday Power-Up, the Food Bank, or the Saturday SALT meeting, the door opens onto the same conviction that has held the church since 1935: that this is a place where everyone belongs, where Christ is proclaimed, and where the people of San Antonio's East Side have built something that has lasted more than nine decades and counting.