[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16809]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING MT. PLEASANT MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 4, 2011

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to extend a 
heartfelt congratulations to the congregation, administration, and 
supporters of Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church of Leesburg, 
Georgia as this fine institution celebrates 150 years of providing 
spiritual guidance and dedicated community service to the residents of 
Lee County, Georgia and individuals throughout the Albany, Georgia 
metropolitan area. This tenured religious institution will commemorate 
its 150th anniversary on Sunday, November 6, 2011 at a service ceremony 
at 143 Mt. Pleasant Road in Leesburg.
  This upcoming anniversary ceremony will enable church members, local 
dignitaries, community leaders and other individuals throughout Georgia 
to pay tribute to a house of worship that has positively influenced 
many lives and served as a sanctuary for those in need of spiritual 
counseling.
  Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church traces its historical roots 
back to our nation's dark days of slavery. The Church was founded in 
1861 by a band of baptized believers in Christ on property deeded to 
them by slave owners.
  Some of the church's early pastors, including Reverend Dough Johnson, 
Ben London, Gain Byrd, Tom Johnson and Reverend Gene Murray, worked 
endlessly to establish Mt. Pleasant as a stable institution that tended 
to the spiritual needs of its congregation and provided assistance to 
other churches in need of resources. Early in its existence, Mt. 
Pleasant graciously allowed members of Old Piney Grove Church to share 
its facilities and bury their members in Mt. Pleasant's cemetery until 
construction of Old Piney Grove's building was completed.
  Throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, Mt. Pleasant's edifice 
has gone through numerous transformations and renovations. In 1890, the 
first frame building was constructed on the eastern edge of the 
church's current location on Mt. Pleasant Road in Leesburg, Georgia. 
This building was built on a wood frame with four windows on each side 
and two doors at the front.
  In the late 1930s, under the leadership of Reverend Wallace Davis, 
Mt. Pleasant's church building was renovated. After the 1930s 
renovation, the church building also served as a school house.
  During the 1960s and 1970s, Reverend P.S. Sparks oversaw the 
construction of a new church building that included pews and pulpit 
furniture. In the early 1980s, under the direction of Reverend W.D. 
Slaughter, a new dining hall was added to Mt. Pleasant's campus.
  Over the years, Mt. Pleasant has remained a steadfast community 
leader and supporter of several humanitarian initiatives that have 
assisted those individuals most in need. Mt. Pleasant's Mission 
Outreach Ministry donates food and clothing to low-income communities 
throughout the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area. The church is also 
associated with charity efforts sponsored by the Christian outreach 
group, Samaritan's Purse.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute 
to Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Leesburg, Georgia for all 
the many things this institution has done and will continue to do to 
positively impact the lives of those in Southwest Georgia.

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