Benjamin Lockhart II, 65, has been pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Marietta since January of 1978. He has been married to the lovely Mabel Jean Dantley for 36 years. They are the proud parents of one son, Minister Benjamin Lockhart III.

A native of Macon, he succeeded Pastor C.L. Bryant,originally of Little Rock, Arkansas, who still lives in Marietta. Pastor Lockhart came to Pleasant Grove from Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta where he served as pastor for three years. Prior to that, he served as pastor of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Macon for three years and at New Bethel Baptist Church in Unadilla, GA for three years.

Pastor Lockhart has grown this church from 300 to more than 1,500 members. Under his careful leadership, the church has given birth to 25 ministries, including several outreach ministries, which serve the poor, the imprisoned, those with drug and alcohol dependency, and wounded women. The work of these ministries adds to the rich history of the 120-year-old church, which was the second black church in Cobb County to operate a public school. It was also one of the first churches in the county to own a church bus.

One of his biggest accomplishments as pastor has been the building of a new church home at 566 Whitlock Ave. "In 1994, God gave me a vision when I was stopped at a traffic light in front of this property, which was for sale. We moved into the new church on the same day, to the day, seven years from the date of that vision," said Pastor Lockhart.

His vision for his flock in the new millennium: "I want God to develop Pleasant Grove spiritually so we can compare with the beauty of this facility."