Pleasant Hill

 

This is a structured, readable transcription and organizational summary of the historical Record Book of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (1886–2011) located in the lower regions of Whitley County, Kentucky.

Church Overview & Location

• Church Name: Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (originally referred to as the United Baptist Church of Christ)

• Location: Lower regions, Whitley County, Kentucky

• Archival Contact in Record: Janus E. Jones, 865 Rocky Point Road, Williamsburg, KY 40769

Rules of Decorum

The church operated under strict governance guidelines. Key rules included:

• Moderator Election: The church must elect the moderator by vote. A majority rules in all cases except those touching fellowship.

• Voting Restrictions: The moderator is only allowed to vote in the case of a tie.

• Speaking Limits: No member may speak more than three times on a subject without leave of the church.

• Order of Assembly: Members must take their seats near the stand when called together as an executive body by the moderator.

• Abrupt Absence: Members cannot abruptly absent themselves during business hours without leave from the moderator.

• Accountability: Members are held to strict accountability for any talk or actions against another member.

• Public Transgressions: If a member knows of a public transgression by another member and talks about it outside the church without bringing it before the body before three meetings pass, they will be dealt with for an act of contempt.

Historical Resolutions

• October 1898: The church voted to strike out Rule XV from the rules of decorum.

• 1912 Denominational Restriction: A resolution was adopted stating that no other denomination shall preach in the church house or on the church grounds without leave of the church. This resolution was voided shortly after on the fourth Saturday in May 1912.

Timeline of Pastoral Leaders & Officers

The following table outlines the pastors, moderators, and clerks mentioned throughout the minutes:

Date / Era	Moderator / Pastor	Church Clerk	Notable Administrative Action
Dec 1896 – Dec 1897	Elder John Sumner	William Patrick	Purchased first record book for $1.26.
Jan 1898	James Lay (Pro-tem)	William Patrick	S.G. Morgan elected moderator for the year.
Aug 1898 – Dec 1898	Elder John Sumner	William Patrick / J.L. Taylor	J.D. Ball elected moderator for 1899 by private ballot.
1900	James Lay (Mod) / W.G. Cornelius & J.D. Ball (Pastors)	William Patrick	Imposed rule requiring members to fill seats every three months.
Dec 1901	Thomas Owens (Pastor) / James Lay (Mod)	William Patrick	Received William Gilbert Jones and wife Mary by letter.
1903	Jack Meadors (Moderator)	William Patrick	Received Solomon and Samantha Cox.
1904	S.R. Sutton / William Davenport (Pro-tem)	William Patrick / C.W. Jones	Settled bell fund: $4.75 collected, $3.15 spent.
1906	J.C. Brassfield	William Patrick	Excluded Harve Kidd for stubbornness/unwillingness to forgive.
1907	J.D. Ball	William Patrick	Extensive revival led by J.M. Cordell and T.L. Lay.
1910	Charlie Wingfield (Pastor)	William Patrick	Milford White and wife ordained as Deacons.
1913	Jesse Lay / A.J. Silcox	William Patrick	Meeting times shifted to 3rd Saturday, then back to 4th.
Dec 1913	C.W. Wingfield	William Patrick	Box dinner raised $64.80 to build a new church house.
1915	M.C. Lay	John Lovitt	Church building materials funded by treasury.
1916–1917	S.R. Sutton	John Lovitt / A.B. Bryant	Church met temporarily at Rock Point School House.
1920–1921	W.D. Hicks	H.W. Taylor	Sunday School organized in April 1921.
1922–1923	Mark Davis (Pastor) / J.C. Brassfield (Mod)	John Lovitt / A.P. Jones	Excluded Mable Ward for fornication.
1924–1926	W.D. Hicks / Lewis Wyatt	A.P. Jones / C.W. Jones	Cy Woodson Jones and Nancy Armelda Jones ordained as Deacons.
1927–1929	A. Parks	C.W. Jones	Denied Mart Kidd membership due to Bethel Church dispute.
1930–1936	T.G. Collette	C.W. Jones	Shifted mission giving format to include local poor.
1939	Green Ellis	J.N. Lovitt	Paid Johnny Bryant $25 to clear the graveyard.
1940–1941	Raymond Richardson / Lewis Wyatt	J.N. Lovitt / Moss Jones	Extended revival baptized 11 candidates.
1942–1943	Tom Adkins	Moss Jones	Emerson Jones and Jack Lovitt ordained to the ministry.
1944	Emerson Jones	Moss Jones	Bought a church stove for $52.00.
1947–1949	Isham Davis	Moss Jones	Ordered the name "United Baptist" be strictly maintained.
1950	Lawrence Neal	Moss Jones	Committee formed to paint the inside of the church.
1952–1954	Clyde Huddleston / Thorn Hill	J.N. Lovitt / Moss Jones	Refused letter to Meadow Grove Church (not same faith/order).
1955–1956	Clive Smith	Moss Jones	Inside of the church house painted.
1961–1962	Isham Davis / Clarence Trammell	Moss Jones	Received Angeline Alsip by letter from Red Bird Baptist.
1963–1964	Ottis Strunk / Dewey Spradlin	Moss Jones / Janus Jones	Complete building remodel; borrowed $400 then $200 from bank.
1965–1967	Clarence Trammell	Moss Jones	Voted $100 out of treasury to help Herbert Jones after a tornado.
1968–1969	Phillip Ball	Moss Jones	Contracted Alan West for $1250 to remodel; added LP gas heat.
1970–1971	Don Kannady	Moss Jones	Licensed Norman Alderman and David Crocker to the ministry.
1972–1974	Alfred Jones	Moss Jones	Installed new pews, cushions, and doors.
1974–1977	Arthur McKeehan	Moss Jones / Betty Smith	Put new siding on church; established a cemetery trust fund.
1978	Jim Mayes	Betty Smith / Georgia Rude	Formed new youth classes; paid pastoral annuity.
2005–2006	Gary Lovitt	Sandra Jones	Dealt with property well/pump issues; pastor resigned June 2006.

Notable Chronological Highlights

The Early Era (1896–1915)

• Dec 1896: Church brings disciplinary actions against Frank White (excluded), Milford Loudermilk (card playing/drunkenness), and Jane Siler (stealing; excluded).

• Jan 1897: Milford Loudermilk is formally excluded after evidence is heard.

• Feb 1897: Charges are brought against Harve Thomas for "public deceiving getting more meal than his rights". He is later excluded in April 1897.

• April 1897: Heck Chinn is excluded for "making an attempt to shoot his wife".

• Jan 1900: Multiple exclusions take place for adultery (Cynthia Clark, Dicey Shepherd) and fornication (John L. Taylor).

• June 1901: Nannie Owens is excluded on charges of fornication.

• May 1903: Dillie and Rosie Jane Strunk are excluded for "keeping a disorderly house".

• July 1914: Morgan, T.R., and John A. Lovitt are excluded after confessing they are "not fit to belong to a church".

The Middle Era (1916–1959)

• Feb 1918: Church votes to buy Thomas Taylor fencing wire if he pays the purchase price.

• Oct 1919: Scriptural validation of Henry Patrick's 1869 credentials recorded in the book.

• Aug 1923: Church officially requests the association to mandate that only the King James Version of the Bible be read and taught in Sunday School.

• Jan 1924: Excluded Dewey Taylor at his own request for "not being fit to be a member".

• Aug 1935: The church requests permission from New Liberty Church to use B.G. Martin as a witness in the ongoing Dewey Taylor case.

• Aug 1936: Mable Ward, Leonard Lovitt, and Ethel Lovitt are excluded for "orderly walking to wit allowing another denomination to hold church services in their home" and confessing doctrinal misalignment.

• Aug 1943: John Bryant is paid a total of $50.00 across two installments for cleaning the cemetery grounds.

The Modern Era (1960–2006)

• Aug 1963: Major church building remodel approved: relocating the bell tower, replacing doors/windows, cutting surrounding timber for usable lumber, and adding a shingle roof.

• April 1964: A formal council (composed of past regional elders) officially ordains Robert Huddleston and Janus Jones into the Gospel Ministry.

• June 1966: Darlene Jones and Melvin Trammell are removed from the church roll because they stated they "were not saved when baptized".

• Jan 1969: General consolidation of accounting records occurred; the church offering, Sunday school fund, and Penny march fund were combined into one general fund.

• Jan 2006: A structural emergency occurs regarding a lack of water at the church. A vote to tie into the Cumberland Falls Water District line for $4,000 fails; the church opts instead to have Connie Sears repair the existing well tank and pump.

• May 2005: Historical items are cleared out of a Sunday school class: a historic bench handmade by Everett Patrick is given to his granddaughter Beverly Cox, and the post office box cabinet is given to Delphine Mailo.