In 1839, seven Lutheran families (Rawls, Elmore, Addy, Glover, Taylor, Caldwell, and Kempson), led by Rev. Levi Bedenbaugh, arrived in Coweta County from South Carolina. Banding together with three Lutheran families (David Gable, Daniel Lightner, and Shade VanSant) they found already living there, they formed the Mount Pilgrim Lutheran Church in 1840.

2nd Church Interior, circa 1890

Their first church building was located on what is now Gordon Road just west of Haralson. That building was used until 1891 when, under the leadership of Rev. Henry Pierce Counts, the church moved to Haralson and erected a new house of worship. That building was destroyed by lightning in 1927 but members soon rebuilt. Since then the sanctuary has been renovated and a fellowship hall has been added.

3nd Church Exterior, circa 1940

Five members of Mount Pilgrim have entered the ministry (Jacob Elmore, Muller Wingard, Fulton Counts, Paul Counts, and Austin Gray). Paul Counts served as the only Lutheran foreign missionary from Georgia. Mount Pilgrim contributed members and monetary support to the establishment of the Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta.

 

Current church pipe organ and dedicated window

The former St. Phillips church in Senoia was also an outgrowth of Mount Pilgrim.  Mount Pilgrim continues to outreach by providing support to St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Forest Park, Georgia.

Extracted From: "History of Coweta County, Georgia," pg. 76.

Here are some history links you can use.

Mt. Pilgrim Evangelical Church Records Rootsweb Archives

Haralson's Lutheran Cemetery

Map to Haralson's Lutheran Cemetery