In 1874 a small group of former slaves met at the the home of Frank Young and organized this congregation, which originally was named Oak Grove Baptist Church. During the late 19th-century pastorate of the Rev. Jim Carroll, the name was changed to St. John, and a two-story church and Masonic lodge building was constructed near this site on land donated by Tennessee Blackburn. The congregation built its own sanctuary here in 1911. Throughout its history, St. John Missionary Baptist Church has been a source of service and leadership for the Mosier Valley Community.