On November 30, 1834, seeking to follow the pattern of the New Testament Church with no book but the Bible, no creed but Christ, and no name but the divine, twenty-one charter members began the Little Ambraw Church of Christ. With Maurice Trimble of Indiana serving as their evangelist, this body of believers met in a barn in Crawford County. The property was later owned by Mr. & Mrs. Mason Goff (who also became members of the congregation and are pictured below). The building then became known as Mason Goff’s barn.
Meeting in cabin homes, barns, and the open air for the next 11 years, the congregation grew to 75 members. They thus sought to establish a more permanent location, constructing a log building in northern Lawrence County. With this building and location, they re-organized as the Church of Christ at McNeice Chapel in 1845.
Twenty-five years later in 1870, the log building burnt. The congregation relocated just down the hill in the Roberts schoolhouse. There the saints continued steadfastly in worship and service while saving and working towards construction of a new meeting house.
After 10 years, a one-room framed building measuring 34′ x 50′ and able to seat around 120 people was built in 1880. High above the doors in the crown of the wall was a fan-shaped plaque on which the name “Pleasant Ridge” was inscribed.
After surviving a near split over the issue of instrumental music, the congregation recovered and grew to new heights during World War I. So much was the growth that in 1917 the one-room building was moved north about a hundred yards and placed over a 15′ x 20′ basement with a furnace and coal room (later to become the kitchen and store-room). A 15′ x 20′ addition was built onto the south side of the auditorium. Two large stained glass windows were installed as well as a platform with two small side rooms.
Relying on faithful elders as teachers of the Word, the church enjoyed evangelists once a month for most of its history. In 1944, they were able to afford a half-time evangelist with C.L. Doty preaching twice a month. Then in 1949, Warren Smith accepted the call to be Pleasant Ridge’s first full-time evangelist.
1953 saw another expansion as the rapidly growing congregation built an extensive addition onto the west end of the original building. This provided for enlargement of the auditorium, three classrooms, and a basement fellowship area with two indoor restrooms.
1958 brought with it the beginning of the longest held ministry of any evangelist at Pleasant Ridge as Larry Schnautz accepted the call to preach the Word for this growing congregation. He and his family are pictured below. Serving for 16 years, brother Schnautz’s tenure saw the church increase to an average attendance of 165 to 170 and participate in a new church plant. Working with other congregations int he county, several families from Pleasant Ridge journeyed into Lawrenceville to help establish Central Christian Church, of which Brother Schnautz served as an interim preacher until they were able to procure a full-time evangelist.
The first Faith-Promise Missionary Rally was held in 1970 in which members make yearly pledges to help support missions. Through the annual rally, Pleasant Ridge has raised over $1 million for missions all around the world.
In 1973, the church participated in another church plant with the establishment of the Hebron Road Chruch of Christ. That year the Schnautz family moved to another ministry, and Philip L. Young (pictured below) began the second longest tenure as an evangelist for Pleasant Ridge. Serving for 15 1/2 years, the congregation continued to enjoy and benefit from strong exhortations from the Word of God as the Kingdom prospered through the faithful saints at Pleasant Ridge.
Entering a third century in which the congregation would continue steadfastly in the Lord’s work, the members of Pleasant Ridge began looking for a new venue due to the need for further expansion and the developing problems of an aging building.
On July 29, 2012, the congregation bid farewell to the building that had housed them since the 19th century with a Sunday morning service in which several past and present song leaders chose a favorite song of praise, brother Philip Young returned to deliver a powerful and challenging message, and many former members joined once again with their brothers and sisters at Pleasant Ridge to give glory to God for the great victories He has won and the continued blessings He will bring forth.
The saints then moved to their new facilities located on the east side of Route 1. The new meeting house consisted of ground level access with a newly constructed classroom wing and greeting area, a renovated auditorium and fellowship hall that was once the Brookside Elementary School gymnasium, and many acres of land for future expansion.
Our prayer is that God will be glorified as we continue to run the race, fight the good fight, and keep the faith that has been handed down for 180 years from generation to generation of faithful men and women at Pleasant Ridge Christian Church.
“Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, to Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen.” ~Ephesians 3:20-21
Pleasant Ridge Christian Church 