HISTORY OF MT. PISGAH WORSHIP CENTER
Recollection of Events by Pastor Emeritus Bennie L. and wife Elder Laura Smith Released: July 2021
Mt. Pisgah Worship Center, formerly known as First Troy Seventh-day Adventist Church, is the result of cooperation in its truest sense. During the early months of 1977, Elder C. E. Dudley, South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists President, sponsored a program to establish an Adventist Church in every county within the conference that did not have a church proclaiming the messages of the Three Angels of Revelation in Revelation 14:6-13. The members of Bethany Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in Montgomery, Alabama, were encouraged to accept the City of Troy, Alabama, with its many adults and youth as their special mission project for proclaiming the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ.
In March 1977, a large number of adults and young people of Bethany began delivering Bible lessons to the homes of three hundred families in the City of Troy. The deliveries were faithfully made each Sabbath afternoon as Bethany’s “big blue and white bus” navigated many narrow streets.
In August 1977, under the direction of Elder S. J. Jackson, Pastor of Bethany Church, a tent revival was conducted by Elder Bennie L. Smith. The Bible workers were Ronald Berry, Cheryl Williams Rivers, Martha Perdue, Rebecca Nettles Myrick, Lauretta Smith Roe, and Cassandra Floyd, serving as cook for the staff. In addition, Mrs. Gertude Asberry and her sister, Mrs. Jadie Whiteside Marsh, traveled from Michigan to Alabama to offer their services as Bible workers. Many members of Bethany drove to Troy, nightly, to sing, play the piano, and lend their support. The group received significant encouragement and assistance from the Troy Company of Seventh-day Adventists. In fact, the Manzano family made their home available, housing the entire Bible workers team.
At the close of the tent revival, sixteen people were baptized. On the first Sabbath in September 1977, the new believers met and rode the bus to Montgomery to worship. The members traveled each week until a building was purchased in Troy. The building, which had been an insurance office, was quickly converted into a church building as Elder S. J. Jackson led a team of dedicated workers making the transformation possible.
In November 1977, First Troy Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized and at the biennial session of the South Central Conference, held in April 1978, was officially accepted into the sisterhood of churches. Membership continued to grow as a result of church revivals and meetings held by Elder George Byars, Elder Roy Patterson and Elder Bennie L. Smith.
For 27 years, Elder Bennie L. Smith and Elder Laura Smith provided dedicated leadership to the church. Under their leadership, membership grew, a church building was purchased, renovated, and the mortgage retired. Later, the church purchased property on the east side of town in which to build a new church.
District pastors have been Elder S. J. Jackson, Elder George Byars, Elder Walton Rose, Elder Roy L. Patterson, Elder Marion Johnson, Elder Raynard Allen and Elder Jeffery L. Watson.
In January 2005, Elder Marion Johnson (Cynthia) became the pastor of First Troy and served faithfully until 2021. During his tenure, First Troy Seventh-day Adventist Church’s name was changed to Mt. Pisgah Worship Center. The church was renovated and a fellowship hall added. Pastor Johnson’s dedication and commitment was truly commendable.
Currently (2021), Pastor Nathan E. Cook is pastor of Mt. Pisgah Worship Center and is dedicated to building upon the established legacy of the church by serving its congregation and community.
Mt. Pisgah Worship Center of Seventh-day Adventists stands, today, as a beacon of light to the City of Troy. Its very presence and existence, in this city, is of itself a testimony of the goodness of God and will continue to be as “a shining city upon a hill.”
