|
Pleasant Hill Assembly of God Church
1 1/2 miles south of Jackson Corner
Middle Fork Township, Ringgold County, Iowa
In October of 1917, a group of Pentecostals came up from Arkansas and pitched a tent on the site where Loren
TRULLINGER'S house now [1972] stands. Kelley CAMPBELL was the evangelist of this group and services continued until
cold weather. On the following Fourth of July, they set up the tent inthe Willis BROWN grove about 1/4 mile north
of the first site. This meeting continued about two months. At this time the people decided they needed a permanent
building to worship in. In September of 1918, the present building was purchased. It stood at the top of a big hill
on land now owned by Earl JACKSON. It was built and used by another group of Christians. They gave it the name Pleasant
Hill, which came with it to the present [1972] location. In order to move the building the 5 1/2 or 6 miles, it was
divided into some 20 or more sections, loaded on hay racks pulled with horses and put on the site where it now [1972]
stands. This job was finished in about two months. For a few years, the church functioned as an independent organization .
Then in August of 1926, it was set in order and applied for a cooperative fellowship with the General Council of the
Assemblies of God at Springfield, Missouri. This application was recognized and the Pleasant Hill membership accepted
in the fellowship on September 2, 1926. Some of the early pastors were Kelley CAMPBELL and Noah MOSIER. The church was
very active since it started and with the exception of three or four short intervals, it has had a full-time pasotr.
In his book, Mike AVITT's research has identified the following
pastors who served at the Pleasant Hill Church:
| Donald SKILES | Cecil HARDY, late 1940's-mid 1950's |
| Mervin BALDWIN, 1956 | L. H. BUCK, 1957-1964 |
| Donald PAYNE, 1964 | Wilburn BENNETT, 1964-1968 |
| Eldon HARDY, 1968-1970 | Brother PERKINS, 1971 |
| Larry McATEE, 1971 | Eddie SWEETEN, 1972-1973 |
| A. G. GREEN, 1974-1975 | Reverend MUNSON, 1976 |
| Dennis MARTIN, 1976-1978 | Mervin BALDWIN, 1979-1980 |
| Larry McATEE, 1981-1982 | Arlyn LUNDSTROM, 1983-1987 |
Reverend Calvin GREGG served as a substitute pastor, 1983-1987.Services were held each Sunday at 10 a.m.,
11 a.m. and 8 p.m. with mid-week services at 8 p.m. Revivals were held regularly during the early years.
The church closed its doors in 1987 but the building was a site of monthly Friday
potluck supper which was followed by evening services. The church was moved in 1995 to the Charles and Rebecca ABARR farm,
Middle Fork Township, where it is used as an art studio.
PLEASANT HILL CHURCH
Vera Hacker is the lady to the far left wearing green slacke. Elmer DeBolt is the white haire man standing to Vera's left in front of the church window. - Ray Riley
Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, September 29, 2005
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Kimball shares her memories of Pleasant Hill Church
Dear Alan,
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the article in last week's Mount Ayr Record-News by Mike Avitt on
Pleasant Hill Church. This was the church I was born and raised in and I have many wonderful memories of the good old times
in the church. Our list of wonderful pastors also brought many good thoughts. The days of the Pleasant Hill were the days that
the building used to be packed and when we had our revival the church could not hold all the people. Many times people would
even sit outside on the ground as the church was full. The ladies of the church always saved the back seat and every week
there would be homemade goodies that would fill the pew for the pastor. We would have fellowship meetings and have
services all day and evening and the ladies of the church would fill tables and tables of food for everyone to enjoy.
At Christmas time we would go out and cut a Christmas tree and us children would decorate it, then sing Christmas carols
that would always follow up with a full hour of our Christmas programs. My Sunday School teacher was Alvn Gregg, a wonderful
man of God. I have many blessed memories of Pleasant Hill. Seems like those were the days before everything became so
fast in life. Many times one sits and would like to go back to the times before life shifted and into overdrive as it
is today. I do enjoy your paper. I have lost out on so many people as I have been away from Mount Ayr for 20 years. Many
of the people I know I see in the nursing home news or obituary section, but always look forward to see the paper coming.
Phyllis Kimball, Creston, IA 50801
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012
SOURCES:
Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa. September 22, 2005.
AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past . . . Ringgold County, Iowa: 1885-2005 p. 47.
Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr, Iowa. 2009.
"Faith Come to the Prairie" Ringgold County Historical Society. 1972.
Pleasant Hill Church group photograph submitted by Phillana Smelser, October of 2009
| 
