Ralph Avenue Church of Christ enjoyed Homecoming Sunday on December 11th. In attendance were many former members and other visitors, including Rita Smallwood and her daughter, Linda Spencer. Many of those in the crowd stayed for the pitch-in dinner. The activity room was decorated for Christmas, there was plenty of food, and nearly every seat was filled. It was truly a blessed day.

Ray Naugle now fills the pulpit on Sunday mornings and Jim Braxton teaches on Sunday and Wednesday nights and also leads singing.

• The following is a short history of Ralph Avenue from Rita Smallwood.

BROTHER J. L. ADDAMS GRADUATED FROM PORTLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN 1928. HIS WHOLE LIFE WAS DEVOTED TO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION AND THE CHURCH.

BROTHER ADDAMS’ FAMILY WAS FROM THE WEST END OF LOUISVILLE. HIS FIRST WORK WAS WITH THE BAIRD STREET MISSION IN THE PORTLAND NEIGHBORHOOD. I KNEW MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THERE BUT MY HOME CHURCH WHEN I WAS YOUNG WAS WITH THE PORTLAND CHURCH OF CHRIST.

BROTHER ADDAMS STARTED THE BAIRD STREET WORK AND THEY MOVED TO THE BEECH STREET CONGREGATION (PARKLAND) AND THAN WHEN THE CONGREGATION OUTGREW THERE, BROTHER ADDAMS SET HIS HEART TO MOVE THE CONGREGATION TO RALPH AVENUE.

I HAVE MANY PICTURES AS THE BUILDING WAS BEING BUILT. ONE PICTURE HAS WRITTEN ACOSS THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE ‘WE ARE IN A BIG CORN FIELD’. MOST OF THAT AREA IN 1953 WAS FIELDS. BECAUSE OF THE YEAR HE GRADUATED, I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF BROTHER ADDAMS MINISTRY DID NOT START IN THE THIRTIES

JIMMY ADDAMS, HIS SON, MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE MORE INFORMATION. I REMEMBER JIMMY TOLD HOW HIS DAD WOULD MAKE HIM CRAWL UP IN THE BUILDING WHILE IT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND HE WAS YOUNG THEN!

SINCE I AM A HISTORY NUT! I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED KEEPING RECORDS, BUT BECAUSE OF MY MEMORY I DO NOT ALWAYS REMEMBER AS I ONCE DID!

I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE THE OLD PICTURES OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED PARKLAND (BEECH STREET) AND RALPH AVENUE.

DURING BROTHER ADDAMS YEARS IT WAS A LARGE CONGREGATION.

I LIKE TO BELIEVE DURING BILLS’ YEARS IT WAS ALSO A LARGE CONGREGATION.

BOTH MEN LOVED THE LORD AND PEOPLE.

BILL WAS AT THE SHAWNEE CHURCH OF CHRIST WHEN HE WAS LED TO COME TO RALPH AVENUE. BECAUSE OF THE BLACK AREA PEOPLE WERE BECOMING SCARED TO COME OUT AT NIGHT. IT DID CLOSE A FEW YEARS LATER AND MOST OF THE CONGREGATION CAME TO RALPH AVENUE.

BILL’S FIRST CHURCH WAS THE 18TH STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST IN THE WEST END. HE TOOK BROTHER BRENT HICKMAN’S PLACE WHEN BRENT AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO GEORGIA. WHEN IT HAD TO CLOSE, MANY OF THE 18TH STREET CONGREGATION FOLLOWED BILL TO RALPH AVENUE.

SO RALPH AVENUE IS A COMBINATION OF SEVERAL WORKS OF THE LORD OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.