About 120 gather in San Augustine to honor longtime moderator Rev. George Cartwright

Approximately 120 people gathered Thursday, April 23, at Taylor Tabernacle on Barrett Street just west of town to honor the life and ministry of the Rev. George Cartwright, longtime pastor of Mt. Horeb Baptist Church in Bland Lake and former moderator of the Sabine Valley Missionary Baptist District Association.

Cartwright died April 9 in Houston at the age of 88.

Cartwright is survived by his wife, Gladys Faye Cartwright, and his son, Gerard Vincent Cartwright, both of Houston. His family brought his body back to East Texas so that churches and communities he had served for decades could pay their respects.

The East Texas service drew pastors, church members, family and friends from across the region. Inside the Tabernacle, Cartwright’s flag-draped casket stood before the pulpit, reflecting his military service. Current association moderator Amos L. Horton, pastor of Reed Chapel Baptist Church, officiated. The eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Tim Teel, pastor of Bell Chapel Baptist Church east of San Augustine.

Teel began by recalling Cartwright’s kindness to him personally, including sharing Old Testament study books from his own library and meeting with him over lunch to discuss ministry.

He then drew from 2 Timothy 4 and focused on Christian readiness, endurance and hope. Teel spoke of Cartwright as a man who had fought a good fight, finished his course and kept the faith. He urged those in attendance to view death, for the believer, not simply as a departure from this world, but as an arrival into the presence of God.

As is customary in the association when one of its pastors dies, a special offering was also taken for Cartwright’s widow.

Cartwright’s long ministry left a deep mark on churches across Deep East Texas. According to his obituary, he became pastor of Mt. Horeb Baptist Church in May 1972 and served there for 45 years. He also served as the third moderator of the association, leading 27 churches over a 30-year period before retiring in 2017.

During Cartwright’s tenure as moderator, the association also added a new wing to its headquarters building, the Tabernacle, expanding its capacity for fellowship meals, repasts, reunions and other gatherings. That addition was later named the George Cartwright Fellowship Hall in his honor.

Founded in 1875, the Sabine Valley Missionary Baptist District Association unites predominantly Black Baptist churches across San Augustine and nearby East Texas counties to pool resources for religious, educational and charitable causes. Its meeting place, the Taylor Tabernacle, was built in the 1940s and remains a central hub for district activities.

Even after his retirement, Cartwright remained highly regarded among area churches. During a pastoral vacancy at New Union Grove Baptist Church in 2022, he was considered for possible interim service there, but declining health would not permit him to take on the role.

In an interview after the service, the Rev. Steven G. Standley, pastor of East Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Shelby County, said Cartwright had played an important role in his life and ministry.

“Rev. George Cartwright meant a lot to me,” Standley said. “He was a great encouragement to me. He gave me the strength to go on when others thought that I should lay it down. And I just appreciate everything that he did and everything that he taught. And I’ll forever be in his debt.”

The service reflected the broad reach of his ministry. Pastors and church members remembered him not only as a preacher, but also as a careful teacher, a gentle but effective leader, and a man whose influence extended far beyond the churches he formally led.

Cartwright was born in Shelby County on April 17, 1937, to William Allen Cartwright and Fanata Cartwright, and was raised in the East Liberty community. He later served in the U.S. Army, studied electricity at Prairie View A&M University, and went on to devote decades of his life to the ministry.

Cartwright came from a family of preachers. His uncle, the Rev. Sidney James “Sid” Cartwright, was a well-known pastor in San Augustine from at least the 1930s until his death in 1952. His brother, the Rev. William A. Cartwright Jr., was a longtime pastor in Georgetown, Texas, where he helped lead an urban renewal project for his church in 1974.

Many East Texas heritage and genealogy enthusiasts have long wondered whether the Shelby County Cartwrights are related to the San Augustine County Cartwrights descended from Lee Cartwright, who lived in the Macune-Norwood area of San Augustine County and was this writer’s great-great-grandfather. Census records do show that Moderator Cartwright’s grandfather, Henry Cartwright, was born and raised in San Augustine County before moving to Shelby County sometime between 1870 and 1880. What has not yet been confirmed is whether Henry Cartwright was related to Lee Cartwright.