Prospect Church is located in northern Jasper County ten miles north of Monticello and eight miles south of Mansfield in what is known as Eudora or Prospect community. It is only a few miles from Dow’s Pulpit, the famous rock from which the great Lorenzo Dow preached between 1801-1805. Jasper County, originally known as Randolph County, was created by an Act of the Georgia Legislature in 1807. It became known as Jasper County in 1812 in honor of Sgt. William Jasper who died in the Revolutionary War. On April 23, 1844, a deed was recorded in the courthouse in Monticello, the seat of Jasper County, to the effect that a certain piece of property was to be used for Prospect Methodist Episcopal Church. The deed shows that Michael Barnes and Harris Allen donated approximately 15 acres of land. It is believed that the church had been formed at least a year earlier. The original trustees of the church were John Horton Sr., Bryant L. Allen, Harris Allen, John Horton Jr., Thompson Curry, Elisha Horton, and Charles E.W.F. Campbell. It is most likely that the first structure was a log building.

The exact date that the church at Prospect was organized is not known. The itinerant preachers, unique to Methodism, made their way through the wilderness of Florida, South Carolina and Georgia in an effort to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls. George G. Smith wrote in his book, The History of Georgia Methodism from 1786 to 1866, that in the year 1829, Monticello was not able to retain its position as a half-church station. Apparently sometime later, the efforts were renewed, and churches began to develop, not only in the county seat, but also in the outlying areas. According to Smith, the Monticello Circuit was formed from the Cedar Creek Circuit in 1834. Prospect was founded some years later and the first pastor on record as serving the church, which was a part of the Monticello Circuit/Macon District, was Hinton Crawford in 1843 and 1844.

Smith indicated that it was a period of prosperity following a depression. Railroads were beginning to stretch across the state. Only two churches in the state, however, were made of brick, and no church yet had an organ. An itinerant preacher was paid an annual allowance of $150, another $150 for his wife, and a small sum for each underage child. He was expected to preach somewhere every day of the month except Mondays.

William Foster preached at Prospect in 1845 and Claiborne Trussel in 1846. A young preacher, by the name of Jackson P. Turner, came to the Monticello Circuit in 1847. According to George G. Smith’s book, The History of Methodism in Georgia and Florida from 1785-1865, Turner was admitted on trial at the age of eighteen in 1842. He was described as a "good thinker and a bold writer." It was said of him that he did not "hesitate to attack the views of any man, however great his age or elevated his place."

Eustace E. Spear followed Turner in 1848 and J. Blakely Smith in 1849. Smith had just entered the conference in 1847 and served for 23 years before his death. George Smith described him as a "man of fine person, of fine business qualification, of great common sense, …and a moving and successful preacher."

The most exciting discovery made by the researchers for this material was a yet-to-be-published diary of Isaac Boring, who served only six months at Prospect in 1850. He wrote about setting out for Conference in Marietta on January 7. He drove from his home that morning through "torrents of rain and reached Marietta by ten in the fournoon." Isaac Boring’s brother Jesse Boring, who later founded the Methodist Children’s Home in Decatur, attended the Conference with him and preached to the assembly on January 14. Their mother, who lived about 12 miles away, was present. "He was stoped (stopped) in his discourse, near the close, by the fainting of a lady. The conference was allowed to retire without prayer, it being thought necessary for the relief of the afflicted lady." Isaac and Jesse parted from each other on January 16. Jesse left to go to California as the superintendent of missions. Isaac said he "felt sad on parting with him, but hope we shall meet again on earth. If not, I think we shall meet in Heaven."

Isaac left for his appointment to the Monticello Circuit; and it was Wednesday, February 6, when he first preached at what he called "New Prospect. Here met a good congregation. Preached on 1 Peter 4:1. Spent the night at Harris Allen’s."

The other churches on the circuit that Boring referred to in his diary included Hillsboro, Sardis, Elizabeth, Liberty, Concord, Midway, Mt. Zion (which later came to be known as Calvary), and New Hope. He also preached at Eatonton on one occasion; and every time he preached in Monticello, he mentioned that "in the afternoon, preached to the colured (colored) people in their own church…at night preached to the whites" using a different text each time. It has not been ascertained where he lived, but one entry said that he left home "by the dawn of day. Reached Hillsboro, about 20 miles, by eleven."

Boring came again to New Prospect on Wednesday, February 20. He read the general rules and stayed overnight at Dr. Perry’s. When he returned on Wednesday, March 6, he stayed overnight with the Allens and wrote that they were "pious parents. They have many promiscing (promising) little children."

The travel by horseback or buggy from place to place must have been extremely hard, particularly in inclement weather. Oftentimes, when Boring arrived at the place of worship, no one, or just two or three people, would be there. He preached only two other times at Prospect. The last time, on April 10, his text was 1 Peter 3:21. He wrote, "Once joined on trial. We had a good time. The bro. who joined experienced religion a few nights since. Went home with Bro. Connard. In the evening returned to Harris Allen’s and spent the night here. Sister Allen departed this life, the Monday morning previous. She died in peace."

Isaac Boring left his family on April 19 to set out for the General Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Their parting seemed almost ominous, for he penned, "It was painful to me and them for us to part; but I committed them and myself to the good Lord, to do with us as he may see best." After an eventful trip using various modes of travel – including buggy, railroad, omnibus, and steamboat – he arrived in St. Louis on April 30. The steamboat had been crowded with "a considerable number of California adventurors (adventurers)" and 20 preachers. One of the bishops had taken the opportunity to preach to those on board.

There were no entries beyond May 1. A notation at the end of his diary indicated that "Isaac Boring, circuit, age 49, passed away with the illness, cloria (cholera), and was buried in St. Louis, Mo. His diary was returned to family in Georgia."

Isaac Boring had served the Monticello Circuit for a total of 83 days. He had preached 57 times, conducted one wedding, held a prayer meeting and a quarterly Conference, administered the Lord’s supper, and endured a riot that broke out next to the church on one occasion.

Later, in writing about Boring, George G. Smith noted that he was the son of "excellent Methodist parents." Boring had not had many educational opportunities, but he had begun preaching by the time he was 20. Smith said he was a "highly gifted man…one whose clear head, and whose determined will, and whose consecrated heart made him a most valuable man to the Church."