Considering the recent closure of the Portland Avenue Church of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky, I thought I would write a brief history of the congregation to go with the notice at Gary Butts sent out about the closing.

The Portland Avenue Church of Christ had a rich history of serving the Lord in the Louisville area for nearly 150 years. They trace their history back to 1877 when another congregation, long gone, started a mission work in the Portland neighborhood.

The spot where the congregation now sits was first occupied by the Methodists for a few years before the Church of Christ started their ministry. The property was a stable and both groups started a Sunday school on the premises. An interesting fact is that the present baptistry was at one time the site of the horse trough at the stable.

The congregation had many preachers in the years before 1900. They only had a total of 6 regular located preachers from 1895 till the present day.  The present building was. Built in 1905.

I want to list the 6 preachers who have filled the pulpit at Portland Avenue.

  1. George Klingman (1895-1902) Bro. Klingman was. From New Albany, IN and was baptized at Portland, probably in the early 1880’s. After preaching at Portland, he preached in Detroit, MI.
  2. Robert Henry Boll (1904-1910; 1911-1956). Bro. Boll was born in Germany in 1875 and came to this country in 1890. He was converted in 1895 near Smyrna, TN and attended Nashville Bible School, now Lipscomb University.  He was Front Page Editor of the Gospel Advocate (1909-1915) and Editor of Word and Work from 1916-till his death in 1956. Tre was about a 11-month period in 1910-11 when Bro. Boll was teaching in a Christian School in Lawrenceburg, TN started by James Stribling. After Bro. & Sister Boll’s first child died at about 1 ½ years, they returned to Louisville, and he reassumed the pulpit.
  3. Carl Vogt Wilson. There was about a year after Bro. Boll’s death that Bro. Wilson, one of the elders took over the pulpit at Portland Avenue.
  4. William Robert Heid. For a few years, he and Bro. Wilson shared the pulpit and then after Bro. Wilson’s death, he was the fulltime minister.
  5. Alex Wilson. Alex returned from the mission field in the mid 1980’s and took over the pulpit. He was. Editor of Word and Work from 1986-2008, when the magazine went online—
  6. Gary Butts was the last preacher at Portland Avenue, serving with Alex and then after Alex had to retire due to health issues served for the remainder of the time the church was meeting.

Many men served at Elders and deacons and countless others as teachers and Christian workers. Many were baptized into Christ and served faithfully.  When I became a Christian in 1972 and was baptized by Robert Heid, the congregation had 7 faithful men serving as elders. George Albus, Victor McKinley, Ernest Mengleberg, Walter Heid, Robert Heid and Herbert Ball. The congregation was a big supporter of mission work, both home and abroad and many went out from this congregation to serve the Lord.

The congregating was a great believer in Christian Education. In 1924, they started Portland Christian School which still exists today. In 1949 they helped start Kentucky Bible College, later, Southeastern Christian college (1949-1979.

-Larry Miles, Co-Editor, “Word and Work.