CHURCH HISTORY
A Place in History where men and women have grown stronger and gained a desire to live and to live life at its best is the “church”. The Christian church has led this country in many victories. The strength of the church has led the organizations that established foundations of fairness, brought liberty for individual and family rights and established justice in communities all over America. The church has ignited this country. The Pleasant Grove Baptist Church is included in making this a great country. It has a very colorful, yet, peculiar beginning with great and outstanding leadership.
It was started in 1914 under the leadership of the late Rev. Dan Davis. The church at this time was known as Mt. Moriah. The church moved several times. It relocated to Nineteenth Street and was renamed The Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Rev. Dan Davis later sold the property to Hopewell Baptist Church. Some of the members remained and joined Hopewell while others united with neighboring churches. A remnant few were left who maintained the name Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. They worshipped with True Gospel Baptist Church at 2100 Biddle Street.
In 1937, Rev. Daniel Cornell Davis was called to the pastorate by this faithful group: Mother Alice Edmondson, Sister Viola Blevins McIntyre, Brother Louis McIntyre, Brother Harry McIntyre, Sister Reola McIntyre, Deacon Jeff McMillan, Sister Hattie McMillan, Deacon Ben Sample, Mother Elizabeth Sample, Sister Mattie Moore, Deacon Thomas Tate, Deacon Henry Thomas, Sister Laura Wilson, and Sister Anna Houston. The church moved to several more locations to include Twentieth Street between O’Fallon and Cass. From there, the church moved to Twenty-third and O’Fallon. Plans were drawn for remodeling and the name was changed from Nineteenth Street to Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church. On the first Sunday in January 1954, the church moved to 2407 Belle Glade. The church soon saw the need for a better building and plans were drawn for a new church. Three houses north of the church building were purchased and demolished. It is on these lots that our first 2411 Belle Glade edifice stands, surrounded by parking space and an additional parking lot across the street. It all happened in 1974 and Rev. Davis retired from the ministry and the church elected Rev. Spencer Wilford to serve as the Pastor of Pleasant Grove from 1983 through 1987. Under his leadership the church continued to do great and mighty things for the Lord. In December of 1988, the congregation elected Rev. C. Allan Jones as pastor of “The Grove.” Since then, the church has enjoyed an abundance of blessings from the Lord. Pastor Jones has networked with other pastors and political leaders to address many of the issues facing our community. Like his predecessors, Pastor Jones has a vision from God. Pastor Jones became a voice of revitalization in this neighborhood. He has begun a great mission: to liberate the community and those who are held captive by the decay of their surroundings. Pastor C. Allan Jones and other leaders of the neighborhood got together and began rebuilding the cosmetic face of the Ville. Now – The Greater Historic Ville Neighborhood community is working hard building and restoring the once great legacy of this outstanding African American Community. New houses and renovation began in the community. The Ville Community is coming alive again. Pastor Jones had plans for a new edifice and God has blessed us with it!!
So we built the wall… for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6NKJV
The Pleasant Grove Church family is dedicated to encourage and improve the lives of those we touch by liberating those who are held captive by spiritual and physical oppression through educating, training and demonstrating a greater and more successful way of living. We are stretching forth our hands to encourage, to build and to strengthen in love and fellowship this church. In 2002 the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church was renamed as the Pleasant Grove Church (The Church of Koinonia). God called Rev. C. Allan Jones into the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, a fellowship that would liberate the people of God to a closer walk with Him. On Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at the Full Gospel Baptist Church International Conference in Atlanta Georgia, Rev. Courtney Allan Jones was consecrated State Bishop of the State of Missouri Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International.
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In February 2022, we bowed in humble submission to the will of our great God who called our beloved Bishop Jones to his rest. After prayer and petition, the disciples of the Cathedral installed our newly elected Senior Pastor, Pastor Raphaelle P. Darden to lead this ministry and continue the legacy. Her creativity, expository preaching and teaching and relevant leadership style will lead us into a new era of fulfillment. To God be the Glory for the things He has done, is doing and is about to do.