The Roberts family gave one acre of land adjoining the North farm on the east and bounded on the south by the State Road (now Highway 100 and former Highway 66), 1 1/2 miles west of Gray's Summit. On this acre the church was erected in the northeast corner of this property in 1859 and used jointly by the Methodist and Baptist denominations into 1867. In the northwest corner of this acre the people built a parsonage, barn for the minister's horse, cow, feed, and buggy; also a poultry house, laid out a garden; dug a cistern, etc. The Roberts' private road from the Archer H. Roberts' farm to the State Road ran between the church and parsonage. Across the State Road the Roberts family gave an acre of land for a school house constructed in the southeast corner of that parcel of ground. The North family donated one acre of land adjacent to the church lawn on the west of the North property and bordered on the south by the State Road for a cemetery. The church building measured approximately 72 feet by 36 feet.

(NOTE:In the 1878 platt image above, the blue icon is the location of the school house. The church, denoted by the green image, was the Brush Creek Baptist Church. It was next to the Brush Creek Cemetery. The red image at the intersection of what is now Hwy 100 (was better known as Hwy or Route 66) and Robertsville Road, was the location of the first Methodist church.) The congregation entered the south end of the building through wide heavy double doors. In this vestibule a stairway led upward to the balcony where the Negroes sat for they were taught religion, reading, writing, and arithmetic by the owner of the land on which they lived. From the right side of this vestibule a doorway admitted the men to the men's side of the sanctuary. On the left the women and children entered the west side of the room. A partition down the center of the room which ran from the center of the room from the front pew to the vestibule wall as high as the backs of the pews separated the men from the women. People entering the room walked down the aisle and seated themselves to the right or left. The pews next to the wall were fastened to it, the left ones to the partition. In the north end of the church was the pulpit with the organ and choir chairs on one side, the secretary's desk, etc. on the other. A large stove in the lengthwise center of the either side of the building furnished adequate heat. Mothers spread quilts in the aisle and put sleepy children on them for the duration of the service. The Baptists had first and third Sundays and the Methodists second and fourth thereby giving our community preaching services every Sunday. Everyone welcome to any or all services. Arriving at the church the conveyances including carriages, buggies, spring wagons, farm wagons, etc. halted at the front gate to discharge worshipers and then proceeded to the west side of the lawn outside the fence to shade trees and hitching posts. Teams were unhooked from the vehicles and then tied. Worshipers arriving on horseback rode past the gate to the stile block built over one panel of the white board fence enclosing the church lawn. A path led to the open door. A cistern at the northwest corner of the building supplied church water. Thus the community had a full, happy church life. Mr. William North died in December 1865. In 1866 the Baptists visited Mr. North's widow, Aunt Nancy North, for the purpose of obtaining the full deed to the premises. Thus Brush Creek Church became Baptist in 1867 and soon the brick building replaced the frame. Dr. John Emory Godbey was preaching for the Methodists at this time. Aunt Nancy gave an acre of her land located at the junction of the State Road on the east one mile west of Gray's Summit to the Methodists about 1867. All worked to build a frame structure later known as the Gray's Summit Chapel and owned by the Methodist organization. The deed was made April 22, 1873. Now both denominations had a home. The first and third Sundays remained Baptist and the second and fourth Methodist down through the years. According to church styling for that era the building was long and wide with the pulpit in the far end like Brush Creek. The very large double doors faced the building to the Robertsville road. A large box iron stove on either side of the room with pipes running half way across the room to the pulpit wall heated the church with wood fires. This building valued at $2,500. John W. Purves, builder. Dr. John E. Godbey was pastor of the circuit including Bethel, Labadie, Gray's Summit and later Cedar Grove churches. After Dr. Godbey's time we built a parsonage at Bethel between the church and school house to the west. Many years later the parsonage was established in Labadie. Ministers often kept appointments on horseback over the near impossible roads in all kinds of weather. At each charge, a bed, warm room, food, and care for his horse awaited him at all hours. Dr. Godbey received $900 from the circuit, $300 from gifts, fees, etc., and board for himself and family. The Gray Summit church has a memorial window for him and these others instrumental in the development of the church.

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