Liberty UPC

In 1975, God placed a burden on the hearts of Reverend John D. Ready and his wife, Dorothy, to come to Liberty, Mississippi, and start a church. In the beginning, the fledgling congregation shared a building with the Church of God for a short time. Some services were even held outdoors under a tree. Eventually, they began renting the local Legion Hut, but every Sunday morning, they had to sweep up beer cans left behind from the night before. Still, they remained faithful, praying earnestly for a building of their own.

Their prayers were soon answered. A sister in the church brought them a key to a small shotgun house located on Highway 567. The humble structure became their sanctuary. During worship, the floor would shake and bounce as the power of God moved through the congregation.

Reverend and Sister Ready drove to the coast to visit the owner of the house and were able to purchase both the home and the lot. To fund the ministry, the Readys sold their home in McComb, Mississippi—one they had worked hard to purchase—and used the proceeds to build a permanent church building. They poured a concrete slab near the old house and constructed a new sanctuary.

For a parsonage, they bought a burned-out trailer frame, repaired it, and set it beside the church. Later, the Readys built a better home, which the church eventually purchased to serve as the official parsonage.

During their years in Liberty, the Readys witnessed powerful revivals and many miracles. They faithfully served until their retirement in 2002. Since then, several pastors have led the church: Rev. Gary Jones (2002–2004), Roger Perkins (January 2004 – June 2006), Daniel Jordan (September 2006 – 2012), Lance Torrie (2012–2018). During his tenure, the original church building caught fire. The congregation rebuilt and relocated to a new facility at 388 Freedom Drive. Rev. James Michael Manchester became pastor in 2018 and is serving faithfully as pastor at the time of this writing (2020).