MT VERNON MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church: A Legacy of Faith and Perseverance
Humble Beginnings: A Church Born from Faith and Resilience
Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church was born out of faith, perseverance, and the resilience of freedmen who, after the Civil War, sought to build lives of their own. These formerly enslaved men and women settled on the poor land along Mountain Road, east and south of Stem, North Carolina. Despite being given the least desirable land, they worked tirelessly to cultivate it, providing for their families and establishing a community of faith.
In 1872, a group of believers in Jesus Christ came together with a vision to establish a house of worship that would serve as a spiritual home for those in the Bowling Mountain area. The nearest place of worship, Pine Grove Church in Dutchville Township, was too far for many, as not everyone had access to a horse and buggy.
Determined to have a church of their own, the congregation first gathered in a bush harbor, a simple clearing where worship services were held under makeshift brush shelters. As resources became available, a log cabin was constructed when the church was about two or three years old. By 1880, the congregation built a frame structure on Roe Hill Road, on land leased by Samuel Moore, Sr., located about a mile north of Stem, NC.
Across from the church, a one-room schoolhouse was built, and additional structures were added to meet the growing needs of the community. Under the guidance and support of Pine Grove Baptist Church, Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church was officially constituted in 1872, with the following charter members:
Henry Allen
Wesley Allen
Reuben Bullock, Jr.
Burwell Jones, Sr.
Reuben Bullock, Sr.
Sarah Jones
Elmira Jones
To help establish the church, Pine Grove Baptist Church loaned several members, including Brothers Joseph Coley, Talton Lawrence, and Jacob Winston, and Sister Lucy Coley. The congregation rapidly grew with additional members such as Brothers Samuel Moore, Jr., Hugh G. Tilley, Logan Jones, and Marcus Tilley, and Sisters Amy Tilley, Dicy Bullock, and Thinnie Umstead.