The foundation of Mountain Life Church can be traced all the way back to 1983. As the population of Whitesburg, KY grew to around 1500 people, the choices of available churches were fairly limited. A group of 23 like minded people connected through prayer and worship and began a work known as Faith Temple.

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Located at the top of the American Legion building on Pine Mountain, the group was temporarily led by a minister from Nashville, TN while a permanent pastor was sought. At the same time, Billy Joe Hogg had begun an in-home bible study in nearby Cumberland, KY. As the two groups met, Pastor Hogg lead Faith Temple through 1984, at which time he was named the Pastor of Faith Temple.

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Ever a visionary, and armed with his motto of "Excellence in the Mountains", Pastor Hogg knew the first step had to be a change in location. After purchasing a church in downtown Whitesburg, KY, he and the church members marched off of Pine Mountain to their new home singing, "We've Got the Power in the Name of Jesus".

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This move was followed by a miraculous move of God, seen in an amazing period of growth over the next few years. Not only was the church growing, but a Christian School was also established as well. With the church congregation working for God and reaching out to their community, the congregation quickly outgrew the church building.

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Pastor Billy J. Hogg's vision for the church did not end there. A piece of property, deemed unusable, had been available on top of the Pound/Jenkins Mountain. Located right on the state line of Virginia and Kentucky, the congregation was able to raise the money to purchase the land. Through a number of miracles, StateLine Apostolic Church was established. This new 10,000-square-foot structure provided the room and facilities for the church to continue to grow and reach it's community.

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Today, renamed as Mountain Life Church and led by Billy J. Hogg's son Brian, the church continues to grow upon it's heritage. Built on some of the original church members, Christian School graduates, and families from the surrounding Wise and Letcher Counties, this church continues it's work. With an established work of 36 years and counting, Mountain Life Church continues to grow based on it's strong foundation of loving God, serving people, and reaching our communities.