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ARCHITECTURE Many people have been drawn to Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church by the architects, Helmut Ajango’s and Gene La Muro’s, unique design. Sometimes called “the spaceship church” because of its round shape, Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church is filled with Christian symbolism. The curved girders that circle the perimeter of the roof symbolize Christ’s crown of thorns. And many things in the structure are done in threes, reflecting the Holy Trinity – an example is the three entryways to the building. The shape of the building enables the sanctuary to have a “church-in-the-round” style. This allows the altar and baptismal font to be the center of the sanctuary, so all seating focuses on the means of grace – the water and the word. The circular altar rail proclaims our unity in faith. The tall cross that rises from the roof is built in three pieces – once again representing the Trinity. The cross isn’t just a rooftop decoration, but indeed passes through the roof, continuing through the rear of the baptismal font in the center of the sanctuary and through the basement’s Fellowship Hall into the foundation of the structure.
HISTORY The current church structure was built in 1975, but the history of Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church dates back to 1857. At that time the Free Will Baptist Religious Society of Mt. Pleasant moved to Mygatts Corner – the intersection of what is now Highways 20 & 31. The property was deeded to the Baptist State Convention around 1900, and in 1923 The People’s Church of Mt. Pleasant took over the deed. Between 1923 and 1947 he church served as a Presbyterian congregation. In 1947 the church was leased to serve as a “preaching point” of Atonement Lutheran Church, and in 1951 Atonement purchased the property. In 1956 Mt. Pleasant became an independent congregation of the United Lutheran Church in America. In 1972 the church purchased the land on which the present church building in located. Two years later, he church on Mygatts Corners was sold and construction began on the present church building. The first service was held on September 4, 1975. A major addition to the building, including a new 14,000 square foot education wing and enlarged and remodeled Fellowship Hall, kitchen, and narthex was built in 1996. A current renovation, “Reshaping Sound and Structure” of the sanctuary is currently underway including a new pipe organ to be completed by John Paul Buzard.
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