About Our Church
Mt. Moriah was established on March 11, 1907. Over the years, our church has faced struggles, but God has been good. Despite the winds of adversity and change, God has enabled us to persevere and remain steadfast and strong!
Mt. Moriah is a small, but mighty church! We are dedicated to serving those in need through various outreach efforts, and are committed to making a positive impact in the lives of those around us and around the world, driven by our faith in God.
Our church is a family, united under God, dedicated to sharing His Word through Sunday school, prayer meetings, local events, and global missionary work.
We are a living example of that wonderful hymn, “We’ve Come This Far By Faith.” And with God’s help, we will continue to move forward. We thank God for His grace, mercy and favor toward us for all these years. We look forward, with great anticipation, to what our future holds, for we know the One who holds our future.
~ Summary of the History of Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church ~
The Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church was established on March 11, 1907. Many of the records from that era, regrettably, have been lost or inadvertently destroyed. The church originally sat on property owned by the State of Alabama. The property consisted of two acres of land and was used as the location of Mount Moriah Elementary School. Due to segregation, the school was attended only by Black children in the community. Grades first through sixth were all taught in the same two-room building. The school was a ‘Rosenwald School’ and a part of a group of schools in the area funded in part by the esteemed philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald. In 1962 the church purchased the two acres from the State of Alabama for the sum of $200.00. The deed for the land is listed in Book 229 of the Lee County Probate Office and is signed by the then Governor of the State of Alabama, John Patterson, and then Lee County School Superintendent, W. A. LeCroy. The Deacons and Trustees of the church whose name appear on the deed include Willie Harper, Clem Smith, Frank Eiland and their successors in office. The existing sanctuary was built by men in the community giving free labor. The foundation for the church was laid by Rev. Pope Hill Sr. and Deacon Clem Smith. The carpenters were Rev. Pope Hill Sr., Deacon Clem Smith, Bro. Melvin Smith and Bro. Harvey Crawford. Many other men in Mount Moriah and from other churches in the community assisted in the building.
Mount Moriah has been blessed with spiritual leadership through the years. Some of the early pastors were Rev. Frank Hughley, Rev. Will Zellous and Rev C. L. Daniels. In 1945 Rev. M. Morris became the pastor and led the church until the mid-1950’s. Originally, the pastor only came to the church and preached on the 3rd Sunday of each month. In time, that frequency was increased to the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Despite the pastor not being there every week, many of the members still met each Sunday for Sunday school. The church would begin to meet every Sunday in 1988. During Rev. Morris’ tenue, Deacon Willie Harper served as chairman of the deacon’s ministry. Other deacons serving during this time were Simon Jones, Luther Echols, George Ogletree, F. Cherry, and Frank Zellars, just to name a few. God has been good to Mount Moriah.
There are many others who have served faithfully through the years; both in leadership and support roles. There are too many to call by name, but they are not forgotten. We thank God and our ancestors for the progress we have made.
Through the years, Mount Moriah has had times of struggle, but God has been good. Even though we have faced the winds of adversity, God has allowed us to carry on. The years and times have brought about changes, but we are still here. We are a living example of the words of that wonderful hymn, “We’ve Come This Far By Faith.” And with God’s help, we will continue to move forward.
Three of the most recent pastors have been Rev. John E. Obleton, Rev. Tyrone D. Edwards and Pastor Bernard Anderson. Rev. Edwards served from April 1995 until February 2009. It was during his tenue in 2002 that a new fellowship hall was built and dedicated. We thank God for the things that were accomplished during his 14 years of service.
Pastor Bernard Anderson came to us in 2009. His first sermon here as the new pastor was preached on September 6, 2009. The title of the sermon was, ‘He Made a Believer Out of Me’. His official installation was November 1, 2009. During Pastor Anderson’s service, much has been accomplished. We will not attempt to name individually each improvement or addition, but we must mention two of the more significant ones. Under his leadership the church was able to pay off the existing mortgage, five-and-a-half years early, on the fellowship hall in August 2016. That is a savings of over $20,000 in interest. In October of 2017, the church completed a total renovation of the sanctuary and Sunday School rooms, including a new sound system, lighting and video equipment. In 2021 a new HVAC system was installed.
All these things are easy to recognize, and they are important. But more important is the fact that, that even through especially trying times, there has been spiritual growth in our church family. In 2020, like many churches, the worldwide pandemic forced the members to leave the building for more than a year and depend on a live stream over social media. We were blessed with members who instructed us on how to use modern technology to continue worshipping and fellowshipping. But in the end, we came back into the building strong and unblemished! Consequently, our monthly prayer meeting remains a blessing to all who attend. Spiritual growth can be seen in the fact that the number of members attending Bible Study has increased and remains steady. Our Sunday School has grown, especially among our youth. Our choirs continue to provide a wonderful ministry through music. Again, we say, “God has been good to us.” We thank God for His grace, mercy and favor toward us for all these years. We look forward, with great anticipation, to what our future holds, for we know the One who holds our future.