09/13/2025
The Center Hill Pentecostal Church was born out of a sincere desire to reach souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Brother Wallace Lucky, supported by his wife and children, preached wherever the opportunity presented itself, but his burden was for the community in which he lived.
Therefore, he asked and received permission to use the Masonic Lodge at Shucktown as a gathering place to witness and to worship. Encouraged by the response received, the vision for a One God, Jesus Name Church was conceived, and a search began for a permanent place of worship. The search was rewarded with an acre of land being donated by Brother Lucky’s Mother, Mrs. Fannie Kate Martin. A small tinned top house in the Martin community was donated by Brother David Lucky, torn down, and moved through the generosity of Mr. Willie Doener and sons to the new location in Center Hill.
Brother Lucky, with the help of his sons, Stanley, Danny, Jon David, Michael, and Thomas, Brother Edwin Barker and others, spent many cold winter nights restoring the building to its former grandeur. With the addition of light fixtures and wiring donated by Mr. Tommy Blizzard, and the assistance of a faithful few members, the Pentecostal Church of Center Hill became a reality in the summer of 1969.
Until the building was completed, services were held in the home of Brother and Sister Lucky, Sister Margaret Daws, Sister Callie Pinson, and Brother James Terry formed the core of the congregation of about fifteen people. This number increased rapidly, thanks to the efforts of new faces in the group, until a record seventy-eight was reached in 1970. At this time, it was evident more room was needed, so the auditorium was begun to the glory of God. With congregational assistance and donated labor, including that of Brother Forsythe, (Section Seven Presbyter), members of the First United Pentecostal Church of Meridian (now Abundant Life Tabernacle), Brother Kenneth Rockco of Pine Grove, Brother Dennis Kholbreker, and others, the sanctuary was completed in 1979. A Fellowship Hall was built in 1985, with the help of Brother George McAdams, The Moffett Construction Company, and the church members. Six Sunday School rooms were added in 1989. In 2014, Brother Wallace Lucky resigned as pastor of Center Hill. In the Fall of 2014, Reverend David and Sister Rita Moore assumed the pastorate. Brother and Sister Moore served as Pastor for several years. Brother Thomas and Sister Roxanne Lucky are the current Pastor of Center Hill UPC.
As for the future, the goal of the Center Hill Church remains the same as in the beginning. That is to reach souls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. We are proud of efforts in supporting home missions, foreign missions, and the many souls which have been baptized and received the Holy Ghost through the prayers and dedication of the congregation of the Center Hill Pentecostal Church and our many friends, but our plans for the future can best be summed up by the Apostle Paul; “I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
