Wayne County NcArchives History .....Plesant Grove Original Free Will Baptist Church 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Alton Parnell APARNELL@nc.rr.com December 6, 2009, 8:16 pm

PLEASANT GROVE ORIGINAL FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH

SHORT HISTORY

The Church was organized in 1859 by Elder David H. Peele and he served as 
first Pastor through 1860. In the early years the members met in homes until 
Mr. William Pike gave one fourth acre of land Dec 19, 1867. The first converts 
recorded in the Church minutes were William H. Andrews and wife Avy; Nancy M. 
Barnes, who was the daughter of Jonathan Barnes and Sarah Mozingo, wife of 
James Mozingo. In the early days there was Quarterly Meeting the Saturday 
before first Sunday and was an all day event with dinner on the grounds. The 
three main things at these meetings were to appoint delegates to Union 
Meetings; appoint committee to check on Brother or Sister so and so and report 
back; excommunicate for missing three meetings in a row or for "disorderly 
walk". The original building is part of the present sanctuary. The only night 
services were the Christmas Program and the Fall Revival, which was held 
before cold weather so we could go to Sasser’s Mill Pond for Baptism. Oil 
lamps were used for lights until 1925 when carbide light were installed. 
Electric lights were installed in 1941. The first addition of four Sunday 
School classrooms and center space were added in 1935 and since then several 
additions have been made.

Pleasant Grove is recognized for supporting home and foreign missions, 
Children’s Home, Mount Olive College, Cragmont and other causes. Pleasant 
Grove is the Mother church of the Western Conference.

The clerks were Thomas Vail; "Uncle" Johnnie Bryan; J. W. Bunn; Edmund Ham; 
Stephen Worrell; C. R. "Uncle Bob" Davis; Clee Davis; Roland Fleming; Mildred 
Talton; Irwin Rowe; Lillie Mae Pender; Lida Fultz and presently Marsha Sauls.

Pleasant Grove Sunday School was organized Apr. 5, 1896. For the first few 
years Sunday School was not held in the cold winter months as dirt roads and 
travel by foot or buggy made travel very bad. The Sunday School 
Superintendents have been Edward L. Mozingo; Neppie Williams Davis; George 
Mitchell; Walter L. Pearce; John Exum Davis; Charles Robert Davis; Claude 
Hinnant; Alpheus Jones; Irwin Rowe;  Worth Overman; Dee Glover; Don Fleming; 
Robert Lancaster and presently Fred Rouse. During the 1950’s "baby boomers" 
period the enrollment was 250 with 220 present. Some of the families in the 
40’s and 50’s were Aycock; Bryan; Bedford; Bissette; Davis; Fields; Fleming; 
Hare; Hinnant; Howell; Lancaster; Parnell; Pittman; Sasser; Talton and Vail.

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