40 Years of Service! The History of the Richmond Ave. Church of Christ
The Richmond Avenue Church of Christ congregation was founded in May of 1980 by the late Brother Rufus Anderson, his wife, Sister Gertie LaGrone Anderson, and with 16 founding members. The young Church met for the first time in a newly renovated abandoned house at 1220 East Richmond Avenue.
The first church service was the fourth week of May 1980. The congregation grew by evangelizing and sharing the gospel by and by outreaching the Southside community. As the Richmond Avenue congregation served and evangelized the community and the members, the church membership grew to 125 members and the members outgrew the building. Through faith, prayers, and the commitment of the members, grounds were broken and construction on the new building began in August 1995. With much labor and prayers the new facility was completed in the spring of 1996 and the dedication service was held on May 26, 1996.
The Richmond Avenue Church of Christ congregation has expanded its size and properties, but it also remains strong and solid in the Faith, and the membership has remained steady (ranging between 110-200 members). The late Brother Rufus Anderson was the minister of the Richmond Avenue congregation for 27 years, passing away on September 16, 2006. Now under the leadership of Brother Victor Norris Sr., the Richmond Avenue Church of Christ continues to move forward in its role to serve God and the Richmond Avenue Church family by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world around us. Brother Norris emphasizes to the church that the "world" is defined to the Christians as our family (who are non-members), neighborhoods, jobs, schools and everywhere a Christian goes. "We’re here to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ one person at a time."
We are thankful to God for allowing us to serve in this location for over 40 years. We look forward to many more years of reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ and giving Jesus.
