THE LOCUST GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH,DIZNEY KY WAS ESTABLISHED
AS A MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN THE SUMMER OF 1885...

WILLIAM HENRY SHOEMAKER A BAPTIST PIONERR PREACHER AND CIRCUIT RIDER WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN FOUNDING THE CHURCH AND ALSO SERVED AS ITS FIRST PASTOR...

JACOB MADDEN WAS ELECTED TO SERVE AS THE FIRST CHURCH CLERK...THE CHURCH HELD SERVICES EVERY OTHER SUNDAY AS WEATHER PERMITTED IN THE OLD LOG SCHOOL HOUSE ACROSS YOCUM CREEK NEAR WHERE THE CHURCH BUILDING SETS TODAY...THE SEATS WERE MADE OF SPLIT CHESNUT LOGS WHICH HAD BEEN HEWN WITH DRAWKNIVES AND AXES...MANY TIMES THE CHURCH MET FOR THEIR BUSINESS SESSION ON SATURDAY AND PREACHING WOULD THEN TAKE UP THE BETTER PART OF SUNDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON...THE SUNDAY SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1895 ANS HAS BEEN MAINTAINED FROM THAT ON...THE LORD CONTINUED TO BLESS THE CONGREGATION AND IN 1924 IT WAS DECIDED AND VOTED ON BY THE CHURCH TO ERECT A REGULAR HOUSE OF WORSHIP THUS LEAVING THE LOG SCHOOL BEHIND...

A PARCEL OF LAND WAS OBTAINED FROM BROTHER BAXTER JONES AND HIS WIFE MARTHA AND BROTHER GW MIDDLETON FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING THE NEW CHURCH BUILDING...THE FIRST HOUSE OF GOD ON THIS SITE WAS A LARGE ONE ROOM FRAME STRUCTURE WITH THE DOORS FACING EAST LOOKING UP YOCUM CREEK

IT HAD A VERY HIGH CEILING AND WAS A WIDE STRUCTURE HOME MADE SEATS WERE BUILT OF PLANKS WITH STRAIGHT BACKS...THE HOME MADE PULPIT WAS MOVED FROM THE LOG SCHOOL AS WELL AS OTHER CHURCH PROPERTY,THIS BUILDING SERVED THE GROWING CONGRGATION UNTIL IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE ROOF WAS BEGINNING TO SAG BECAUSE OF THE WIDTH OF THE BUILDING...LARGE POPLAR POLES WERE PLACED IN THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING TO HELP REMEDY THE PROBLEM,THE ROOF CONTINUED TO FAIL AND WAS DECIDED TO TEAR THIS BUILDING DOWN AND REPLACE IT

IT WAS ABOUT 1932 WHEN THE BUILDIND WAS DISMANTLED AND A NEW ONE ROOM FRAME CHURCH WAS CONSTRUCTED,BROTHER ELIJHA CREECH A WELL KNOWN LOCAL CARPENTER BUILT THIS HOUSE OF WORSHIP AND IT WAS OF GOOD STURDY CONSTRUCTION...THE DOORS OF THIS BUILDING WERE PLACED AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE FORMER CHURCH AND WERE NOW LOOKING WEST DOWN THE CREEK...THE PEOPLE MOVED INTO THIS BUILDING AND USED IT UNTIL IT WAS DECIDED IN 1947 TO BUILD THE PRESENT BUILDING...THE CHURCH AT THIS TIME WAS AVERAGING CLOSE TO TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE IN SUNDAY SCHOOL AND QUITE SIMPLY HAD OUTGROWN THE OLD FRAME HOUSE OF GOD...THE NEW BUILDING WOULD BE OF CONCRETE AND BLOCK AND HAVE ROOM FOR INDIVIDUAL SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES...BROWN BROTHERS AND SONS PROFESSIONAL CARPENTERS WORKING THROUGH POPE CAWWOD LUMBER COMPANYAND SUPPLY IN HARLAN KY WAS CONTRACTED TO BUILD THE NEW CHURCH

MEN IN THE CHURCH SPENT MANY HOURS ASSISTING THE CARPENTERS IN GENERAL LABOR,AS THE BUILDING PROGRESSED THE TOTAL EXPENSES FOR THE NEW CHURCH CAME TO THE AMOUNT OF $11,000.00 DOLLARS WHICH WAS ENTIRLY PAID BY THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH WITH THE ATTITUDE OF TO GOD BE THE GLORY

THIS BUILDING IS CURRENTLY STILL BEING USED WITH THE INTERIOR COMPLETLY REMODELED IN 1994 AND THE EXTERIOR BEING BRICKED IN 1996...DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS SOME GREAT REVIVALS HAVE TAKEN PLACE WITH SERVICES SOMETIMES TAKING PLACE THREE TIMES A DAY AND LASTING FOR TWO WEEKS OR LONGER..THESE WERE KNOWN AS PROTRACTED MEETINGS AND WOULD LAST UNTIL THE SPIRIT CLOSED THEM OUT...SOME OF THE OTHER GREAT SERVICES INCLUDED THE MUCH ANTICIPATED MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES WHICH AT THAT TIME WERE SIMPLY KNOWN AS DECORATION...THE DECORATION SERVICE WOULD MOVE FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD TO ALL THE LOCAL CEMETERIES FOR SERVICES THERE...THERE WOULD USUALLY BE A CERTAIN TREE THE PREACHERS WOULD CHOOSE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL,THIS PARTICULAR SERVICE NO LONGER TAKES PLACE HOWEVER THE CHURCH DOES HAVE THEIR ANNUAL HOMECOMING SERVICE ON MEMORIAL DAY SUNDAY WITH A LOT OF FORMER RESIDENTS RETURNING HOME FOR THIS WONDERFUL TIME OF WORSHIP

THE CHURCH WAS AT ONE TIME WAS ALSO USED AS THE LOCAL SCHOOLHOUSE AS THE LOG BUILDING HAD FALLEN INTO DECAY SO THE CHURCH WAS USED UNTIL A NEW SCHOOLHOUSE WAS BUILT ON TURNERS CREEK...MANY SOLID MEN HAVE THROUGH THE YEARS SERVED AS PASTOR IN ADDITION TO WH SHOEMAKER...SOME OF THE OTHERS WERE BROTHER JH CREECH,BROTHER JACKSON JONES,BROTHER BILL DEAN,BROTHER ALKES WYNN,BROTHER CLIFFORD BAUMGARDNER,BROTHER HURLA PHILLIPS,BROTHER PRESTON THOMAS,BROTHER PAUL WHITE...BROTHER GERALD JONES SERVES AS THE CURRENT PASTOR AND WAS CALLED TO THE CHURCH NOVEMBER 17TH 2002..

WE THANK GOD FOR OUR PAST AND LOOK TO HIS GUIDANCE IN THE FUTURE...MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU AND OUR PRAYER IS THAT THIS WEB SITE HELP THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED.....SUBMITTED BY CHRIS JONES DEACON LOCUST GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

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