slfinnell

Flat Creek Baptist Church/ThursdayDoors 

From "History of Pettis County, Missouri, Including an Authentic History of     Sedalia, Other Towns and Townships" by Special Historians, 1882
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CHAPTER VIII.--RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
           The Baptists of Pettis County

Page 300:
   The first Missionary Baptist church, established in the county, was the 
Providence church, situated about three miles southwest of Clifton, or-
ganized April 4, 1842, by Elders A. P. Williams, and J. G. Berkley; the 
second was Flat Creek, five miles south of Smithton, organized Septem-
ber 23, 1846, by Elders J. G. Berkley, and Elias George;

Good Thursday Doors to you! Welcoming our new host, Dan over at No Facilities this week-–one of the blogosphere’s best! Be sure to check his place for where to locate my fellow door enthusiasts.

To give you a tiny bit of perspective, Missouri gained statehood in 1821. The book above, you may have noticed, was published in 1882. The small town I reside in was formed in 1860— a tough time to organize with the opposing views our country was dealing with. Hmmmm, opposing views has a familiar ring about now, dontcha think?! I’m sure the church pictured below, formed in 1846, saw its fair share of debates in those early years. Something to ponder for sure.

For my door-share this week, I’m taking you to the southeastern portion of Pettis County. I’ve been in this church once for a wedding, and another occasion to play my banjo with good musician friends. (Sidenote: I have a huge softspot for gospel bluegrass). It would be nice to have shown you the inside, especially the original portion. But you know, pandemic. And those other to visits I made here were before cell phones. So I’m sharing some various shots we took on one Sunday just before dusk. The view of the countryside here is just gorgeous! These forefathers knew a thing or two about location. Hope you enjoy!

First the front-facing view

Forks branching out from Flat Creek are all over our county.
  • Since 1846
  • Original church portion
  • Stair-stepped doors
I wish I could tell you if there’s still a bell in the tower.

It’s been good to have you here! Til next time, stay safe. 

19 comments

  2. This is a great building. Thanks for including the view from the front. I can almost imagine the feeling when seeing that as you exit, full of the spirit from Sunday’s sermon. The original portion looks to be about the size of the church I grew up in. Small in size but huge in spirit and song.

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  3. As pretty as a picture, Katy 🙂 And a miracle it survived for so long and in such great shape. The location is surely well chosen.

    I do imagine children would have played underneath the big tree at the front. Maybe it once held a swing.
    I love how the sunlight changed from the first to the last picture, when it hugs the front door 🙂

    Thank you for the intro. It surely put the church in perspective for me.
    Blessings, Pat.

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  6. I often think deep about old churches. What all has been preached? How many people have been saved? Etc..

    I appreciate a good banjo player! 👍

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