Union Grove Church of God of Prophecy Mooreville MS

A Fellowship of the Church of God of Prophecy

Loving God, Loving People & Making Disciples

 

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The following brief history of Union Grove comes from memories of witnesses of those early years, as the written records were destroyed by fire, when the home of church clerk, Mollie Parker, burned.World War 1 was ending. Our nation was on the verge of a great depression when the church had its beginning.Archie Parker was very ill. The doctor had diagnosed him as having TB. The prognosis was “not very long to live”. His sister; Diathuller Mitchell, who lived near Red Bay, Alabama, sent word that she had received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

She asked if someone from the church she was attending could come to his home and pray for his healing.Archie’s wife, Mollie, not understanding healing or the baptism, discouraged their coming. Her mother, Ollie Hopkins, had been praying for someone to come preach these things that she had already seen in the scriptures. So, she and Archie, without Mollie’s knowledge, returned the message with a “Yes please come”. They came. Bro. Joe Holley and Sister Elizabeth White from Red Bay, Alabama came to pray for Bro. Archie Parker. They prayed and Bro. Archie Parker lived for many years.Sister Hazel Mitchell remembers Sister White dancing until her hair came down. She thought Sis. White was dying.From this prayer meeting, a great revival broke out. They stayed and preached at Mr. Harve Mitchell’s house and at Ollie Hopkin’s house and several received the Holy Ghost. Many of the preachers that came in the next several months came by wagon, walked, or hitchhiked from the Red Bay area.

Some of those pioneer ministers were Richard Moxley, Joe Holley, Frank Smidley, B. O. Funderburk, Elmer Wigginton, Henry Lucamnes, Bro Hamilton, and E. C. Ryder.Soon the church was organized in the home of Jimmy and Ollie Hopkins. Seven joined the church that day. Eunice Franks, Bro. Lucas, Mittie Lofton Mitchell, Claude Loftin, Maud Powell, Troy Hopkins Prestage, and Maude Moxley, the preacher’s wife. Bro. Richard Moxley was the first Pastor. Sister Eunice Franks was appointed the first Church Clerk and Bro. Lucas was the Deacon. Having very little finances, the congregation continued to meet in the Hopkins home.

They were baptized on Easter Sunday 1919 in a pond just up the road.Those who were there tell that every time they met together, people were saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. For miles around folks would come to see the “Holy Rollers”. Some were afraid to get close, they thought they would throw powder on them and they would have spells like they were having. Bad snakes were brought for the saints to handle. Bro. Moxley was the pastor. The man who brought the snake made a talk and told them if it bit them, it would kill them. Brother Moxley, Brother Archie Parker, and Sister Hazel Mitchell’s mother, Emma Loftin, handled it and it never bit either one of them. They handled fire, live coals from the fireplace and it did not burn them.

When they got sick, they would call someone to come and pray and they would stay and pray until the person got well. Sister Hazel Mitchell took a Slow Fever and lay in bed for 3 months. She told her daddy if he trusted the Lord, she would be healed. If he had the Doctor, she would die. So he trusted God. A man who lived nearby told her dad if she died he would see he would go to prison. God healed her and when she went to church--two women were there with flowers to put on her grave--they heard she was dead. That was when Sis. Hazel Mitchell was 12 years old, she is now 92 (Passed Away in 2009).Across the road from the Hopkins, a log cabin was erected to house the pastor and to have Sunday School and Church.

Bro. Moxley moved in and the work continued to grow.In the mid-twenties land, located a few yards down the road was donated by the Parkers and a “rough-edged” plank building was erected.A tornado in April 1936, the same that killed over a thousand in Tupelo, severely damaged the building. Some of the member’s homes were destroyed at this time, also. But God blessed them, and the church was repaired.For several years there was no home for the pastor. In the late forties, under the leadership of Clyde Nelson, a parsonage was built, which stood where the walking track marker is today.During Bro. J. C. Woods, pastorate, the church across the road was built, the south part that is facing the road. Through the years, additions and remodeling have been done on both parsonage and church.

A major building program was started under the leadership of Gene Douglas.From the “rough-edged” building, there was a 250-seat auditorium, and 11 classroom education facility, a library, and an auditorium for the Children’s Church. A kitchen and fellowship hall were located in the basement.During the pastorate of Bro. Andrew Cook, more land was purchased and a playground was started. The playground consisted of swings, slides, see-saws, a swinging bridge, a tennis court, and a T-ball field. A cemetery and pavilion for outside services are also located on the church grounds. The pavilion/Outdoor Stage was remodeled in 2009-2010.Under the pastorate of Bro. Curtiss Shelton, a new parsonage was built across the road from the old church and is located behind the present-day church.

Started under the pastorate of Bro. James Akins and finished under the leadership of Bro. Billy Adams, we are now enjoying the new facilities we have today which include a 400-seat auditorium, an 11-classroom education facility, a library, an auditorium for Children’s Church, two nurseries, a prayer chapel, Administrative Offices, the lower level consists of a fully furnished industrial kitchen, fellowship hall and gymnasium.God has richly blessed the Union Grove Church. Union View (no longer in existence), Unity church, the Tupelo, and Verona Churches all had their beginning from the Union Grove Church.And, still today God is continuing to richly bless this church.