Pleasant Grove Church and Cemetery has stood for 125 years, and later this month the facility's association will hold its annual gathering to celebrate the anniversary.

A Memorial Day service is scheduled for noon May 26 at Pleasant Grove Church and Cemetery near Bell City, Mo. The service will begin with a covered dish luncheon, followed by a patriotic program at 1 p.m. and conclude with a business meeting at 2 p.m.

Pleasant Grove Cemetery Association secretary and treasurer Shelby Spears called the yearly service "such a joy and fulfilling labor of love."

The program will focus on youth participation. Boy Scout troop 51 of Chaffee, Mo., will provide an honor guard along with attending veterans. Delta High School students Jamie Hodge and Lydia Reitzel will read essays, and Delta High School salutatorian Kristen McCoy will give a musical presentation.

The program also will honor veterans with a flag-raising ceremony and include the singing of old hymns.

Members of the association organize the annual service, and prepare the church and grounds and decorate the graves of the 58 known veterans buried in the cemetery.

According to Spears, attendees can expect "to come away blessed and feel inspired."

She said every year organizers feel as though they have done something worthwhile.

"The importance of this is to honor the memory of what this place meant to our ancestors and keep it going," Spears said.

Spears said her father often would take her through the cemetery and tell her about the people buried there. She and her husband would also spend time together in the peaceful setting.

"This was a sacred place to my dad and so many others in the community," Spears said.

Spears called the church and cemetery a landmark that meant a lot to her grandparents and great-grandparents. She said the organizers always get positive feedback from people who attend the services.

"For those who can't come, it makes them feel good knowing the cemetery is being maintained," said association president Michal Prosser Burlison.

According to Spears, the church almost did not survive to see its centennial. In 1985, there was a motion to sell the contents of the church and tear down the building, which had fallen into disrepair. However, the association voted to begin restoration.

Spears said it took three years of fundraising and work to restore the church for the centennial service in 1988. According to her, more than 300 people attended. Ralph Dodson, who pastored the church in 1939 and 1940, returned from Michigan to speak.

Spears said a congregation has not met in the church since the 1970s but upkeep still continues. As much of the original church as possible was saved, such as the pews and altar. Improvements were made, including the addition of outdoor siding and a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

The original steeple also had to be replaced and sits inside the building next to the original sign. An arch was erected by the entrance, which was provided by the Barham family who lived on a farm near the church. Spears credited the Barhams, Eddith Howlett, Howard Miller, A.C. Thrower and others who have dedicated time and resources to maintain the church and cemetery.

Spears said in that 1888, a group of men gathered on a Sunday at Pleasant Grove, spread out a picnic blanket, and pitched in money to build the church. The land was purchased from Jonas and Caledonia Sitz and the church was completed in 1891 as a Methodist Episcopal Church.

"We hope the service will be a blessing," Spears said.

Spears said the church is available for special events.

Pleasant Grove Church and Cemetery is on County Road 307, State Highway 91, between Advance and Bell City. For more information, call Spears at 204-8722.

apicar@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address: Advance, Mo. Bell City, Mo.