Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church
Serving the Northwest Kansas plains for 135 years
Serving the Northwest Kansas plains for 135 years
On March 12th, 1887, six believers met at William Blackwill’s home to worship the Lord together for the first time. As membership grew, the group also met at Sam McWilliams homestead. Pictured is F.L. Walker after he arrived at the McWilliams’ homestead from WaKeeney to moderate the gathering. It was at this meeting that the members asked for God’s blessing and guidance for the church they were about to organize.
That following summer, the sod church was erected. Preaching was held in homes once a month for the first year. George W. Taylor was granted a license to preach by the church. By the end of 1887, Mt. Pleasant Baptist had 22 members!
On October 12th, 1900, the church purchased stone to build a new building. On December 17th, 1905, the new stone church was dedicated. Soon after the building was dedicated, two weeks of evangelistic services were held, and new church members were added. For the first five years in the stone church, there were no lights, so kerosene lamps were used often. Additionally, church members primarily used horse-drawn wagons to get to and from church.
On October 31st, 1929, a discussion was had involving the need for a larger church building. The Leland Baptist Church (located approximately 13 miles southeast of the present church) offered to give their church building to Mt. Pleasant if they would move and restore it. In November 1933, the location was marked for the church basement. In February 1934, the basement was made and the building was moved. Dedication services for the church were held September 16th, 1934.
In 1961, plans were set in motion for an addition to be made on the east side of the sanctuary. A basement was also put under the new addition, which boasted a kitchen and a furnace room. Restrooms and running water were also added at this time. The construction was complete in 1962. From 1979-1980, a gable roof was placed over the overflow room with a classroom, pastor study, nursery, and additional restrooms.
On April 2, 1986, a vote was passed to proceed with building a new church building. On June 14th, 1992, members voted to officially begin construction of a new facility. Construction began on September 2nd, 1992. During the winter of 1992, there were over 100 days with snow on the ground, with over 70 inches of snow in total. The snow pushed the construction back a bit. On July 1st, 1996, the big move was made, and on July 7th, the first full Sunday School and worship service was held. The Fellowship Hall was completed in April 2000.
