Burnsville, MS
It was around 1956 when Sister Alma Phillips went to Burnsville, Mississippi, to start a church work in that town. She was married to Elvie Phillips with five children: Jean, Virginia, Joyce, Teresa, and Ronnie. The Marlar family, who lived in Burnsville, traveled to Iuka, a neighboring town, to Church. They talked to Sister Phillips about coming to start a church in their home town. Brother and Sister Brice Marlar and children, James, Shannon, Sandra, and Donnie, made room in their home for Sister Phillips to start services. Before long, the group bought an old store building in downtown Burnsville and converted it into a church with a sanctuary and two Sunday School rooms.
In 1959, Brother Thomas Bundy came to assist pastoring while he attended Tupelo Bible School. He left in June of 1960 after finishing the school year. The church group had been having services in the store building for about four years when the building burned. They purchased land and started a church building on a hill just off Hwy. 72 in Burnsville. Several people donated their time to work on the new church building. Sister Phillips’ husband, Elvie, and son-in-law, Ray Settlemires, hauled logs to the sawmill to make lumber to build the Church. Reverend Dole Crotts, a carpenter and pastored a church in Tennessee, came and labored intensely on the Church.
Others worked on the Church were Brother Arnold Russell, Brother Brice Marlar, Reverend Allen Milan, and Brother Junior Howard. To raise money to help buy building material, the church group rented land and planted a cotton crop. Several members of the group cultivated and picked the cotton for the Church.
The new church sanctuary was almost complete when Brother Paul Sanders came in October of 1961 to pastor the Church. Brother Sanders attended Tupelo Bible School when he accepted the Church’s pastoral position, and then he graduated in 1963. Brother Sanders helped finish the Church’s basement, including the Sunday School rooms and an apartment to use for a parsonage. He and his wife, Gayra Settlemires, married on February 5, 1965, and lived in the Church’s parsonage. Brother and Sister Sanders labored faithfully, and many received the Holy Ghost under their ministry until he resigned from the Church in August of 1969. Brother Brice Duncan and his wife came to the pastor in 1969. They had three sons, Larry, Loey, and Dwayne. Brother Duncan was there around a year until he resigned in June of 1970.
Brother Charles James and his wife came at the end of 1970 with their two children, Judy and Jerry. During his tenure, the Church purchased land, and a new church built just west of Burnsville on Hwy. 72. Several men of the Church labored to construct the church building. Brother James stayed about five years until he resigned in 1975. Brother George (G.C.) Killingsworth came in July of 1975. He and his wife had three children, Rock, Pamela, and Darran. He later resigned in October of 1976. Brother Richard Forsythe and his wife came to Burnsville in the latter part of 1976. They had two sons, Greg and Monte. Brother Forsythe resigned about three years later in 1979. Brother David Huff and his family came in the latter part of 1979. They had three daughters, Amy, Heather, and Kelly. He stayed until 1983, then resigned.
On October 16, 1983, Brother Jimmy Rich, wife, Barbara, and daughter, Leanne, arrived in Burnsville to begin their pastorate. Later God added a son, Darren. The Rich family has been through two floods that put both the Church and parsonage under 2 to 3 feet of water. They have also overseen two building programs, one for a new sanctuary and another for a multipurpose building. Now the Church has an average attendance of 180. There is a Spanish Ministry, Children’s Ministry, Alcohol Chemical Treatment Series Ministry, and an Anger Management program. Burnsville Pentecostal Church is incredibly blessed to have Brother Rich and his family continuing their service to God at Burnsville to this day. In 2016 the Church changed its name to “The BRIDGE at BURNSVILLE.”
The church vision is “Building a Bridge from the Kingdom to Community.” The Church continues under the leadership of Pastor Rich, who has just celebrated 37 years. Plans include the building of two transitional homes for housing former addicts and a new Church Sanctuary. In the meantime, the Church uses the Multipurpose building as a Sanctuary.