CHURCH HISTORY
“A Church with a Treasured Heritage, and a Bright Future.”
Our History and Future
Pleasant Beach Baptist Church was organized in August of 1948 after a revival was held by Vivian Brown of North Carolina. Rev. Brown continued as the first Pastor. This small group of people that lived in Sandy Bottom, led by Charter Members Mr. & Mrs. William Woody, Mr. & Mrs. Howard Canter, Sr., Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Canter Jr., Mr. Burley Canter, Mr. & Mrs. Clifton Canter, wanted to have a place of worship in their neighborhood to point the people to a saving God. They began by meeting in their homes and then in a small building behind Mr. Woody’s house. They then called upon all the resources that they could muster and built the first church building. God blessed the determination of this small group and made it a soul winning station that has persevered down through the years.
God has placed Godly men in the position of pastor at Pleasant Beach to serve Him and also to pave the way for each pastor that would follow them. The names of those Pastors were: Rev. Vivian Brown, Rev. James Francisco, Rev. R.M. Randall, Rev. Junior Smith, Rev. Frank Stout, and Rev. Jerry Honeycutt.
The first Deacons were William Woody, Howard Canter, Robert Honeycutt,
The first Sunday School Supt. was William Woody.
The first Church Clerk was Frankie Jones.
The first treasure was Haskiel Grindstaff.
It was through the leadership of these men that God raised up a church in Sandy Bottom to be a beacon not only to this community but to Elizabethton and throughout the surrounding area. On May 11, 1969 the church called Rev. Bobby G. Stout as their pastor. For the next 43 years “Bro. Bob & Mrs. Jan” faithfully served our church and community. God’s blessings were evident as lives were changed and buildings built. Only God knows the sermons preached, souls saved, visits made, and funeral conducted by Bro. Bob. Upon his retirement from the pastorate of Pleasant Beach, Bro. Bob now serves as our Pastor Emeritus.
The church now not only owns it current location but also 11 acres on the banks of the Watauga River. God miraculously provided this property through an anonymous gift. A new facility is being built with an educational building, a new auditorium, and a gymnasium/fellowship hall.
Pleasant Beach Baptist Church called Mark and Stephanie Fowler and their family to serve as their pastor on October 28, 2012. The Fowler’s have three daughters: Abigail, Cassidy, and Madelyn. Please pray for Pastor Fowler and his family as they lead our church family.
