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.

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