In observance of its 175th anniversary celebration, members of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Ridge Spring, will conduct worship services under a brush arbor at its original site and learn about hardships endured by its founding members.
Other celebration events planned include three nights of revival services, April 9-11, with guest ministers Mayhew West of Philippi Baptist Church, Richard Ryals of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and Rod Elliott of Salem Baptist Church.
An afternoon of games, food, music, crafts and exhibits on April 29 will lead up to Celebration Sunday, April 30, led by pastor Charlie Yoho.
Although records for the first 100 years were destroyed in a fire, facts gathered from the oldest residents, many of whom were descendants of charter members, date the church back to April 1831. A group of Christians began meeting then in a brush arbor along the banks of Little Bog Creek in Aiken. Three years later, they constructed a building on a little knoll from which the church derived its name, Mt. Pleasant.
In 1853, the church moved from Bog Creek to a site on Bear Creek. At this time, Mt. Pleasant and Bethel Baptist Church, Monetta, shared their pastors and held yearly revivals.
During the 1930s, Mt. Pleasant shared pastors with Philippi Baptist Church, Johnston. Mt. Pleasant called its first pastor of its own in the early 1950s and began holding weekly services.
Numerous additions and renovations have been made to the church through the years, including the installation of stained glass windows and an education/fellowship building. After finishing a new Sunday school building in 1993, the church is currently in the midst of constructing a family life center.