The Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles, Inc., was organized March 27, 1946, in the home of its founder Reverend Earl A. Pleasant, at 1466 ½ East 46th Street. The Moderator of the meeting was the late Reverend N. E. Taylor, Pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego, California. Mount Moriah was organized with seven (7) charter members. !e seven were: Mrs. Olga W. Pleasant (wife of Pastor Pleasant), Miss. Gertrude Williams, Mrs. Pauline Pleasant, Reverend Gus Giles, Miss. Bobbie Jean Butler and Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Spiller. The first officers were Reverend Earl A. Pleasant, Pastor; Brother A. J. Spiller, Deacon; Miss. Gertrude Williams, Clerk; and Reverend Gus Giles, Treasurer. The initial offering was $8.00.

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The first church worship service was held at a rented social hall, Taborian Hall, March 31, 1946. In the midst of horrendous vicissitudes, God blessed the feeble efforts of His people. As a result, Mount Moriah was now ready for expansion. Therefore, plans were made to purchase property at 41st Place and McKinley Avenue. Paying as they built, Mount Moriah was able to complete its structure at 4155 McKinley Avenue. Mount Moriah experienced a vast ingathering of souls. After six successful years, “the place where they dwelt became too straight.” Therefore, there was a need for more room. This led to the purchasing of the Church located at 43rd and Figueroa Street, commonly known to us now as “Old Mount Moriah.”

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In January of 1973, Mount Moriah was led by its Pastor into its present facilities following a rigorous building program. With a sanctuary that is able to seat in excess of One Thousand (1,000) a two-story, well facilitated Educational Building, and accommodating parking lots.

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To the dismay of all, Pastor Pleasant departed this life, October 31, 1974. After much prayer, the call was extended to the Reverend Melvin V. Wade, Sr., of Houston, Texas on August 19, 1975.

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Reverend Wade accepted the call to be God’s Under Shepherd on September 1, 1975. Pastor Wade brought to Mount Moriah his own dynamic God-given vision. He refocused the church to honor Pastor Pleasant’s memory, with a plethora of ministries to advance the Kingdom of God. Under Pastor Wade’s pastoral leadership, the church grew and made monumental progress in every area. The missionary outreach causes, in which has been one of the main arteries in Mount Moriah, has been enhanced. Funds have been raised and allocated for scholarships. The church has taken on an immeasurable number of campaigns to improve the quality of life for its Mount Moriah members and the community at-large.

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Mount Moriah has given birth to over 100 sons in the gospel ministry. Many of these sons and other home-grown leaders are making a dynamic impact on Christendom in the nation and around the world.

In 1993 Mount Moriah received a 4.5 Million-Dollar grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to build the Mount Moriah Senior Villa. The 41 Unit complex exclusively for senior citizens to live independently was named in honor of Dr. Earl A. & Mrs. Olga W. Pleasant.

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Denominational support and participation have always been a tradition in the life of the church. Pastor Wade with the support of Mount Moriah was nominated and elected President of the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America in the City of Chicago, Illinois in 2002. God elevating Pastor Wade to the Presidency of NMBCA was a great milestone in his life and a signal honor for the Mount Moriah Baptist Church. It has been the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the witnessing, the saving of souls for God and the wide range of ministries and mission outreach programs of Mount Moriah that has been and continues to be a testament to the foundation it’s built upon.

Dr. Wade served the church for 42 years as its leader and retired in 2017. The “Mount” as it is affectionately known, called the Reverend Johnteris Tate of Memphis, Tennessee to be the pastor and lead the congregation in 2017.

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Under Pastor Tate’s leadership, Mount Moriah continues to be a light for God’s Kingdom in a darken world, the salt of the earth and a city on a hill. He is revitalizing the ministry infrastructure of the church and planting new ministries to propel Mount Moriah to a greater place to have the ability to meet the needs of the present generations and for generations following.