Velorious Edwin "V. E." Kirtley

(Pastor of MHBC from 1886 - 1889) Velorious Edwin Kirtley, son of Elijah L. Kirtley, and a descent of an old Welch family which has produced many Baptist preachers, not less than seven of whom have lived in Kentucky, was born in Taylor County, Kentucky on April 9, 1818. Because his father had lost his property, he was brought up to hard labor on a farm, and with only a few weeks schooling. In may, 1837, he united with Pittmans Creek church, being baptized by John Harding. After he was converted, his desire for education was greatly increased. Accordingly he applied himself to study by firelight, at night, while he labored hard by day. This practice he kept up till he arrived at his 21st year. After this he went to school and taught school alternately, until February, 1839, when he entered Georgetown College. Here he worked his way through an attendance of fifteen months. Having been licensed to preach, at Pittman Creek, in June 1839, he was ordained at Frankfort, December 25, 1841, by Wm. Vaughn, J. M. Frost and George C. Sedwick. He immediately took charge of Big Spring church in Woodford County. He was also pastor of Providence church, in Anderson County, and preached once a month to each of the churches at Hillsboro and Salvisa. In 1844, he took charge of the churches at Bardstown, Mill Creek and New Salem, all in Nelson County. He served these churches, till 1848, when he accepted a call to the church at Owensboro, to which he ministered two years. In 1851, he accepted an agency for the Kentucky and Foreign Bible Society. In this position he labored four years. In March, 1854, he took the pastoral charge of the church at Danville, and served it four years, building it up from 33 to 125 members, of whom he baptized 80. On leaving Danville, he took an agency for Indian Missions, which he prosecuted only a few months, when failing health forced him to desist from traveling. He then improved a small farm near Springfield, and remained on it during the war, preaching meanwhile, to the churches at Hillsboro, Bethlehem and Haysville, in Washington County, and Lebanon, in Marion County. In 1865, he took charge of the church at Bardstown, and at the same time became Principal of the Baptist Female College at that place. After occupying these positions three years he moved to Lebanon, where he took charge of the church, and built up a female high school, of which he continued Principal, five years. In 1874, he took the pastoral care of the churches at Stanford, in Lincoln County, and Hardins Creek, in Washington. In 1876, he accepted an agency for Domestic and Indian Missions, and filled the position six years, closing in 1882. Mr. Kirtley is an eminently practical man, in the prosecution of his religious enterprises, whether in the pastoral office, at the head of a denominational school, or prosecuting a financial agency. He possesses remarkable physical strength and power of endurance; and few preachers in Kentucky have performed so much hard labor as he, and equally few, perhaps, have labored to better advantage. He has been engaged in almost every enterprise of the Baptist denomination in Kentucky, and has been blessed with good success in them all. In the pastoral office, he thinks he has baptized over 1,000 converts. He has raised money to aid in building several church houses, as those at Portland, Crab Orchard and Bethlehem, and to repair those at Bardstown, Mill Creek, Lebanon, Haysville and Owensboro. He raised $8000-00 to establish Danville Female Academy, the same amount for Bardstown Female College. He supposes he has collected for missionary and other benevolent enterprises over $150,000.00.

Pastors of MHBC 1875-1880 - Thomas Underwood 1880-1883 - E. H. Brookshire 1883-1884 - J. C. Wray 1885-1886 - Thomas Underwood 1886-1889 - V. E. Kirtley 1889-1890 - J. H. Riffe 1890-1893 - W. M. Stallings 1893-1903 - J. T. Hall 1903-1912 - J. W. Crawley 1912-1915 - T. E. Ennis 1915-1916 - No name in minutes 1916-1917 - T. E. Ennis 1917-1918 - A. R. Abarnathy 1918-1920 - No name in minutes 1920-1921 - W. C. Hundley 1921-1924 - No name in minutes 1924-1928 - W. C. Hundley 1928-1929 - C. L. Harmon 1929-1932 - W. C. Hundley 1932-1938 - L. E. Whitlow 1938-1940 - E. M. Gash 1940-1944 - G. E. Puckett 1944-1947 - John T. Pierce 1947-1950 - John M. Wall 1950-1954 - W. R. Beard 1954-1955 - W. R. Cook 1955-1958 - Kit Yeaste 1958-1961 - Richard Shields 1961-1963 - Harold Meers 1963-1968 - E. V. Carrier 1969-1974 - Bruce Hullette 1975-1980 - William Earl Pike 1980-2012 - Victor J. Stansbury 2013-2017 - Steven Skaggs 2018- Billy Compton