Pleasant Hill A.M.E. Church started in 1846 like so many other churches… as a bush arbor. A bush arbor is a place where slaves would gather in secret to practice religious traditions. The trees became known as bush arbors and they served as a location where slaves could combine their African traditions with Christianity. It had a makeshift roof between trees with ‘bushes’ on top to provide as a cover or roof. They took their African traditions and merged them with the Christian ideas they learned on the plantation. That’s how the A.M.E. Church was born. More specifically Pleasant Hill African Methodist Episcopal Church. In the 18-hundreds a group of people from the Salem community gathered at the bush harbor which was located on what used to be a dirt road.. Right outside the doors to our present location. Some years later in 1878 a church was built using logs. In the early 1900’s a plank church or church of wood was built just across the road on land donated by the Harrison family. In 1969 our current church building was constructed. Some of the men sitting in these pews today helped to pour the foundation and physically build this church. Planks from the old church were used to build the floors of this church. In the early 70’s the Head Start program built the fellowship hall we have now and they held classes at this church to help get young kids ready for first grade. Here’s a list of some of the many pastors who have served as leaders of Pleasant Hill African Methodist Episcopal Church:
Rev. Elijah Williams (1920’s)
Rev Hayward Phillips (1930’)
Rev Martin Fortson
Rev. E Phillips
Rev. Sam Jackson
Rev. John H. Brotson
Rev. S Williams
Rev. Claude Miller
Rev. J.l. Parker
Rev. G.W. Williams
Rev. Callaway
Rev. Battle
Rev. Tom Jones
Rev. Isiah Alexander
Rev. Alonzo King
Rev. Eddie Robinson
Rev. Ricky Neal
Rev. Levonn Jakes
Rev. Johnny Walton
Rev. Samuel Thomas
Rev. Antonio Thomas
Rev. Thomas Fortson
Pleasant Hill A.M.E. Church 