The Beginning
The family of D. J. Creech moved here from Hazlehurst, Ga. in 1931. The children of Mrs. D. J. Creech did not want to live in a community where there was not a church. Mrs. Creech contacted Mr. J. J. Porter, a layman from the Patterson Baptist Church, to help organize a church.
Wood Pile Meeting
They first organized a Sunday School at the home of Mr. Milledge Strickland. Millie Strickland vacated one room and dedicated it to the Sunday School for services. The men met around the woodpile and decided to build a church. The members elected officers and put Mrs. Kate Creech and Mrs. Alston Cook on the lumber committee. When they contacted Mr. Jim Rance Thomas, a man who owned much of the land in the vicinity where the sanctuary now stands, he is quoted as having said “cut all the trees for the building of the church.” He had Mr. Gus Spradley saw the lumber at his sawmill.
First Pastor
Mr. Rube Smith and other members rived the shingles out of Big Creek. Brother Lester Dixon, a well known and much loved member of our community, was the church’s first Pastor. The church was interdenominational until 1936 when it was named Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church with Baptist doctrines adopted.
A New Building
In 1956, under the leadership of Brother Owen Rozier, a building fund for a new church was set up. Various money making projects were planned to supply the necessary funds. Mrs. Creech was put in charge of special gifts. Mrs. Bertha Lee Sinclair was in charge of birthday offerings and the egg project. The ladies of the church sold hens as one project and sold pigs as another. Also, they had what was known as the Lord’s acre. Each family donated on acre of their land to the Lord. Everything that was grown on that acre was sold and the money was donated to the Lord. The new brick building was built in 1960 and dedicated in 1961. Mr. Tollie Brown donated the bricks and other members donated logs for lumber and their time for working.
Current Day
In the late 1990’s until present, Mr. Harley “Buck” Davis has donated land and money. Several other past and present members have also donated money along with their time and talents. Through God’s guidance, these donations have allowed us to have new recreation areas, new parking areas, utility buildings, a new social hall, and most importantly, our new sanctuary. None of this could have happened without the love of the Lord and a church body with a heart to do HIS will!!
