140 Years of Faith

Since 1886, God has carried the Josey Creek family through generations of faith, growth, and grace — from a humble brush harbor to the church home we cherish today.

Our Beginnings

In the year of 1886 our fore parents with a burning desire to worship and praise God established this church as we know it today. The church had its origin in a brush harbor. The brush harbor was located just across the road from the present structure. There was a great sense of devotion among the congregation. Their faith and determination laid the foundation for us today. With their faith rooted in God’s promise to be with them, they purchased from a white congregation the Josey Creek Church. This church got its name from the early settlers of this community, the Josey’s. The Creek east of here was called Josey Creek. This is how our church got its name. The church was very small with outside shutters for windows.

Reverend Jim Moye was the first pastor. Following his pastorate the following ministers served as pastor: Rev. Howard; Rev. John Spencer of Starkville, MS; Rev. J.P. Pipkins of Longview, MS; Rev. Fintress of Louisville, MS; Rev. A.B. Martin of West Point, MS; Rev. M.H. Hill of Houston, MS; Rev. L.W. Watson of North Carolina. The congregation grew spiritually, morally, and financially.

A Church Home Rebuilt

In 1908, the congregation saw a need for a larger church. The old church was torn down and a new one built. Ten years later it was burned to the ground. With heavy and desponded hearts they had to start all over again. This was a great responsibility, because few if any members were land owners, but their faith and trust in God the spirit of cooperation existed among the members of the church. Mr. Spencer Austin (contractor) was the only one paid. The labor was donated by the men of the church and the community, the ladies furnished the food. The structure we occupy today was built. The church continued to grow under the administration of the following ministers:

Rev. J. M. McDonald from the Mississippi Delta served a short tenure as pastor. Two classrooms and other major repairs were added during his pastorate. The church looked forward to his summer revivals.

In December 1962, our hearts felt a great sense of loss at the home-going of Rev. Green. We felt like sheep without a shepherd.

1963 – 1964: Rev. F. C. Campbell served well as our pastor.

Years of Growth

Rev. Chester Cobb of New Albany, Mississippi served from 1964 until 1973. The church grew and prospered under his administration. He had the vision to add the fellowship hall, baptismal, pastor study and bathrooms. In January of 1973 Rev. Cobb resigned. Again our hearts felt a great sense of loss. We were without a pastor until November 25, 1973.

At this time God sent us our beloved pastor Rev. Leroy Harrison. He was an inspiration to the church. He re-organized the Sunday school, organized three choirs — the Sunday school, Junior and Young Adult Choirs — and revitalized existing organizations. Our church grew spiritually and financially under his leadership. Rev. Harrison’s vision and our dream were to remodel and make other additions, namely two more classrooms, a pastor study, enlargement of the kitchen, air conditioning and central heating of the building, and the bricking of the church. The church was completed during the spring of 1979 under the supervision of contractor Mr. Rufus Nicks, Jr.

We would like to thank the following deacons and trustees for helping to make our dream become a reality: the late Mr. Odie Rush, Mr. Johnny Rush, and our own Mr. Henry Gibson and William B. Robinson.

In December of 1988, our hearts suffered a great loss by the resignation of Rev. Leroy Harrison. We were without a pastor until August of 1989. At this time God sent us Rev. Timothy Daniels. He was a great inspiration to the Josey Creek Church family. These are some of the things that were accomplished under the administration of Rev. Daniels: he organized more Sunday school classes, enlarged the pastor’s study, paved the parking lot, purchased a church trail-ways type bus, and added a children’s ministry.

For several years Rev. Daniels and the members felt a strong need to build a new house of God. Our goal was to begin the construction of a new edifice. In April of 1995 we rallied together around a conviction titled the “Nehemiah Project.” There was a ground breaking service held in June of 1998 which was immediately followed by the foundation pouring. Rev. Sammie Hill of Columbus, MS was the contractor for this project. After much planning, meetings and prayers, on June 27, 1999, we marched into our new house of God with a Victory March. Today we thank God for his blessings, and each time we look around at this edifice, we know that it was truly the hands of God that made it possible.

A Season of Vision

After 12 years of service, in August 2001, Rev. Timothy Daniels left the Josey Creek Family to pursue other interests. Being without a leader, Rev. Thomas Rogers Junior was elected as interim pastor from March 2002 until December 7, 2002. In January 2003, Rev. Thomas Rogers Jr. was elected as pastor of this great church. Right away Rev. Rogers began to put his vision into place. New souls were saved and new members were added to the church. The old church was torn down and the area was leveled for future use. The trail-ways bus was sold and a new Church Van was purchased. A community outreach program (Walk-For-Jesus) was started, and a new Junior Deacon Ministry was put into place. A three-week new membership orientation class was established for new members, and a weekly van pick-up service was established for Sunday morning pickups. The parking lot was paved, with individual parking areas. In 2004, an outside utility storage building was purchased, and a 20-foot outside signpost was purchased and utilized monthly for church announcements, encouraging words, etc. Several new church ministries were incorporated into the fellowship, including the Deaconess Ministry, Health Guild Ministry, and the Rolling Hills Nursing Home Outreach Ministry.

In 2006, a church website was established (www.joseycreek.org). We are a church that believes the Bible is the Word of God, and in it are Kingdom Principles for Christian living; therefore we want to spread this message to the community and the world.

In January 2007, Rev. Rogers started a new one-hour Senior Citizen Day Bible class, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with members served lunch immediately after class. A part-time secretary was hired to man the church office during the week from Tuesday to Friday during the morning hours. A vision was set in place to erect The Josey Creek Life Center — to house a computer literacy program, GED classes, family enrichment classes, a Christian book store, a church league recreation department, an after school program, a child care program, and a focus on strengthening black men in the 21st century. In 2007, Pastor Rogers put in place a Morning Prayer Service, and the Josey Creek M. B. Church went into prayer for the land that would accommodate the Josey Creek Life Center, praying Exodus 23:20: “Behold, I sent an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.”

In April 2009, the Lord blessed the Josey Creek Church with the acreage needed for the Josey Creek Life Center. That year, the church also provided transportation for senior citizens to doctor’s appointments and grocery shopping.

To further fulfill the holistic thrust of the Josey Creek Church, in 2010 two programs were added: (1) an after school tutorial and (2) The Mission Ministry Outreach. The after school tutorial program was established to help students in grades K-12 reach academic excellence. To bridge the gap between church and community, the Mission Ministry Outreach was implemented to assist in such programs as prison ministry, job placement, storm release efforts, and family food & clothing adoption. The church also provided a guest speaker for the senior citizen ministry following Tuesday morning Bible Study.

In 2012, a twenty-four hour prayer ministry was put in place. This prayer ministry covers the church members, the communities, and the universal church. It was birthed to comply with the New Testament’s mandate to pray, nestled in Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Since the birthing of this prayer ministry, the church has witnessed the hand of God moving in mighty ways!

In 2013, an in-house prayer group was formed which meets each Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. Also in 2013, a new purpose and means of praising God emerged through the creation of the Praise Dance Ministry, as, according to Psalm 149:3, we “praise the Lord with dancing.” In 2014, The Balance Marriage Ministry was organized for married couples to strengthen and enhance marriages God’s way.

In 2015, several enrichment ministries were added; the Women’s Choir was organized and the Laymen’s Ministry was revitalized. Cancer awareness was observed each year, recognizing cancer survivors and past deceased members. In 2016, the Intermediate Sunday School class was added. In 2017, God continued to pour out His blessings through various in-house organizations: the Josey Creek Wednesday Night Bible Study and Sunday Morning Worship Service began streaming live via Facebook; the Home Mission Ministry assisted the First Presbyterian Church with The Casserole Kitchen, whereby food was brought to the church and workers from Josey Creek helped serve the meals to the needy each 4th Tuesday of the month; and an Enrichment Ministry for young ladies was established, offering life skills lessons such as learning to cook. On December 27, 2017, the Lord blessed the church to pay off its mortgage!

On December 14, 2019, Rev. Thomas Rogers resigned as pastor of The Josey Creek Church. He accepted the position of Senior Pastor of New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama.

Faith Through Change

Again, the church trusted God to guide our future. In 2020, the church installed security cameras. When the COVID-19 coronavirus hit the country and our community, its impact on the health and wellness of all caused the church to close its doors on March 22, 2020, ending “in-person worship” and all other “in-person contact” church services and activities. For five months the church remained closed. On August 2, the church initiated Facebook Live, streaming the Sunday morning church service with just a few people in attendance. The church began online call-in Zoom for Sunday School, and created online Bible study via Zoom call-in and video. The church purchased its own coronavirus cleaning & disinfectant machine & supplies to help combat the virus spread. The church was also very blessed to receive food from the USDA and sponsored many food drives to distribute food to the community & surrounding areas.

On May 2, 2021, the church doors were opened to in-person worship as well as Facebook Live at 11:00 a.m. It was during this time that the church recognized a need to update its previous by-laws. Later in the year, in-person Adult Sunday School combined classes and combined youth classes began meeting at 10:00 a.m., while Bible study continued online. In 2022, as the COVID pandemic continued yet began to show a decrease, God continued to bless the church. The mask requirements were lifted by the CDC and the church was more financially secure. A pulpit committee was established to serve in the new pastor’s search process.

In 2023, the church witnessed more blessings. The old 750-pound church bell was sanded, primed, painted, and resurrected! It was placed out in front of the church in May 2023. The cornerstone was placed on the front south-east corner of the church as well.

On July 1, 2023, Rev. Petro Jordan was elected as the Pastor of Josey Creek M. B. Church. Pastor Jordan was installed on Sunday, September 3, 2023.

This body of Christ is dedicated to the teaching, developing, and living of the Word of God. We pray God’s blessing upon the Josey Creek M. B. Church family, and may His presence continue to dwell with us.

We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight.

The next chapter of Josey Creek is still being written — and there’s a place for you in it.