Pleasant Grove Baptist

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

On April 13, 1879, a few pioneers gathered to organize the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. The first pastor, Elder W. F. Harvard, preached the dedication sermon. The first building was made of split logs with puncheon floor (a puncheon floor is made from logs that are finished flat on just one side and are very thick and strong) and was built shortly after the church was organized. It served as a meeting house for the first twenty five years. On April 30, 1904, a building committee was appointed for the purpose of having a church built.

It is believed that the church was moved into later in the same year although it was unfinished. This church was a frame building and located east of and across the highway from the cemetery. In later years the building was finished and served as a place of worship for fifty two years.

In 1953, after several years of discussion it was decided to build a new church. Mrs. Nannie Lewis gave the land for the present site facing the highway west of the cemetery. The deed was made October 2, 1953 and the church began planning the building. Concrete block construction was used. Many people donated time, labor and material. The first service in this building was July 22, 1956, on Sunday evening. The pastor was Rev. Colon J. Lewis.

The sanctuary walls were paneled and the floor carpeted in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Sunday school rooms were completed and improved over the years. A sheltered table was constructed for “dinner on the grounds”, church picnics, and other fellowship meals. In 1982-1983, the grounds were landscaped.

The sanctuary was completely refurnished with new pews and pulpit furniture in 1980. Mizell and Clara White gave the pulpit furniture in memory of their son, Edward White, and donations were given in memory of many others for the purchase of the pews. The church has a very fine heated and air conditioned building, complete with functional Sunday School rooms and an attractive sanctuary.

For years the church met once a month with services being held on Saturday, Saturday night, Sunday and Sunday night. In October 1946, the church voted to have services on Sunday morning and night twice a month on the first and third Sundays. The Church went full time in October 1953.

Efforts were made to hold Sunday School throughout the early years but the first recorded minutes pertaining to Sunday School was in 1934. In January 1949 the first continuous Sunday School was organized as it is today.

Training Union was organized on January 22, 1950 under the leadership of Rev. and Mrs. Alva Horton.

When the church was organized it became a member of the Florida Baptist Association where it remained until 1900 when it became affiliated with the newly formed Middle Florida Baptist Association. Pleasant Grove was the only church in Taylor County which voted to remain in the Middle Florida Association when the Taylor County Baptist Association was organized in the 1950’s.

More to come-------------