A detailed history of
Pine Grove Baptist Church
The following historical notes were gathered from numerous documents in preparation of the 70th anniversary of Pine Grove Baptist Church, which was celebrated on Sunday, September 9, 2018 during our Homecoming service. We feel a responsibility to care for our history information just as we shepherd our other church resources, and we thank Almighty God as we reflect on His many blessings upon our church. If you have additional information and/or photos from our church's history, please send it to us via e-mail if possible or through postal mail.
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Much of this information comes from the work of the 1993 Pine Grove Baptist Church History Committee
(Bro. Jimmy Burroughs, Jim Lawson, Betty Myracle, Diane Powers, Guy Roberts, Shirley Roberts, and Rhonda Smith) and a document compiled in 2010 by Sandy Hawks and Shirley Roberts.
Charter Members of Pine Grove Baptist Church, 1948
Dr. Edwin "E.E." Deusner (Organizer)
Mrs. Florence Cody
James and Dorothy Cody
Mr. Jim Cody
Mrs. Nell Cody
Mr. A.E. Derryberry
Mrs. Lillian Derryberry
De Roy and Ruby Dickerson
Mrs. Georgia Griggs
Mrs. Betty Myracle
Mr. Charles Page
Mr. R.F. Page
Sam and Lizzie Page
Mr. Don Penix
Mr. Loyce Penix
Mrs. Mellie Penix
Mrs. Ruth Pearson
Miss Lois Richardson
Thurmon & Evelyn Wallace
Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Wood
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A church with a mission to reach people for the Kingdom of God
Dr. Edwin "E.E." Deusner began meeting with families in the Wildersville / Lexington TN area to reach more people in Henderson County in 1948 as a mission from First Baptist Church, Lexington, TN. The group met in the home of Sam and Lizzy Page on Highway 22 N in Wildersville, TN. The church was officially established on Friday, September 24, 1948.
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As more people joined the church, it became clear that there was a need for the group to give itself a name, and for a permanent building to house the congregation. A story handed down through the generations tells us that the group first met in a in an area rich with pine trees, and so the name "Pine Grove Baptist Church" was chosen. The people of the church gave, and many recalled that the women of the church raised chickens and sold eggs to help with the building fund. Charter members De Roy and Ruby Dickerson owned a small piece of land (1/5 of an acre) and donated the site for our first church building. The location where that small white brick building was constructed is just across the highway from our campus today.
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That same year, Pine Grove Baptist petitioned for - and was granted - admission into the Beech River Baptist Association. At that time, there were 21 members and had already baptized three people. One church enrollment form shows there were as many as 44 people active at the church by the end of the year. A few years later, church growth made it necessary to add to the building.
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It was a regional common practice in the 1940s - 1970s for Baptist pastors to serve multiple churches, and/or for pastors to serve at one church for a few years. Pine Grove Baptist's history reflects this, as the church was blessed by a series of pastors who served from two to five years until 1988, when Bro. Jimmy Burroughs began his work which completed with his retirement in 2017.
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In 1984 the church moved across the highway to its present location thanks to a generous sale of land from Mr. and Mrs. Morris Brooks. A new church building was constructed in 1989, and as the church enjoyed a season of growth it became necessary to construct our current sanctuary in 1998. Since the church's founding it has held six major building programs and added several smaller structures.
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