Freedom Church (Pleasant Ridge UPC)

Pleasant Ridge United Pentecostal Church traces its roots to the early Pentecostal movement that spread through the hills of Lincoln County, Mississippi, during the 1920s and 1930s. At a time when Pentecostal truth was largely unknown in the area, God was already preparing hearts for revival. A woman named Julie McCullough prayed faithfully that a church would one day be established on the very hill where Pleasant Ridge would later stand. Though the fulfillment seemed far away, God was already laying the foundation for a great work.

In the early 1920s, revival began spreading through the Pleasant Hill community near Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Services were first held in a simple brush arbor where people gathered to hear the Gospel preached and experience the moving of the Holy Ghost. Many throughout the surrounding area began receiving the Holy Ghost in homes, cotton fields, woods, and prayer meetings as revival fires spread across the countryside.

As the message continued to grow, ministers and believers traveled throughout nearby communities including McBride, Union Church, Caseyville, and Brookhaven holding revival services, conferences, and prayer meetings. Pentecostal worship and preaching quickly became known throughout the region, accompanied by testimonies of healing, deliverance, and lives transformed by the power of God.

In May 1932, services began in the Old Red Star community, later known as Pleasant Ridge, in the home of Will McCullough. Despite opposition and uncertainty, revival soon broke out. Crowds gathered under a newly built brush arbor, and many people from the Britt, McCullough, and surrounding families received the Holy Ghost. As attendance increased and revival continued, the burden grew to establish a permanent church in the community. Through sacrificial labor, faith, and determination, land was secured and a sanctuary was eventually constructed.

Throughout the 1930s, Pleasant Ridge became a thriving center for Pentecostal revival in southwest Mississippi. Camp meetings, conferences, and revival services regularly drew ministers and worshippers from across the region. Even during the hardships of the Great Depression, people faithfully walked through woods and fields for miles to attend services. Many were baptized in Jesus’ name and received the Holy Ghost as the church continued to grow spiritually and numerically.

Over the years, Pleasant Ridge United Pentecostal Church became known not only as a local congregation, but as a place of prayer, revival, and strong Apostolic faith. The church played an important role in spreading the Pentecostal message throughout Mississippi and beyond, influencing generations of believers and helping establish other works in surrounding communities.

The ministry of Brother A. D. Varnado was closely connected to the early growth of the church. In addition to helping establish and pastor the work during its formative years, he later served in ministry in Louisiana and eventually became a missionary to Jamaica alongside his wife, Bessie, where they helped establish numerous churches. His efforts were part of the broader revival movement that shaped the history of Pleasant Ridge and many other Pentecostal churches throughout the region.

Today, the church continues its legacy of Apostolic worship and ministry. Pleasant Ridge United Pentecostal Church has since been renamed Freedom Church and is now under the leadership of Bishop David E. Lambert.