Our History

On Sunday, October 28, 1923, a small group of Christians met in the auditorium of Gilbert School to conduct a worship service and to establish a congregation of the Church of Christ in North Florence. The service marked the beginning of the North Florence Church of Christ a congregation that would eventually be known as Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ.

Brother A. Smith Chambers, 20, a 1924 graduate of David Lipscomb University, is recognized as being the congregation's first minister during the period of time in which the group conducted worship services at Gilbert School. Because of his youth, news articles of the day referred to Brother Chambers as the "Boy Preacher." Smith Chamber's brother, Frank, also preached to the congregation numerous times.  After purchasing a lot on the corner of Sherrod Avenue and Cypress Mill Road, the congregation erected a handsome building which contained an auditorium (350 seat capacity) and six to eight classrooms. The cost of the building was approximately $25,000. Of that amount, $15,000 was borrowed from Frank M. Perry, Sr. with the endorsements of six men: J.J. Holt, J.W. Stutts, Dr. W.B. Turner, Ben Holt, R.W. Sims, and J.D.Longshore. The achitects for the project were Alsop and Callanan of Memphis, Tennessee. The builder was Walker Brothers Construction Company of Tuscumbia and Fayetteville, Alabama. Florence-based companies involved in the project included Florence Plumbing and Roofing Company (plumbing), Wade Electric Company (electrical work) and Stanfield Brothers (sheet metal work and roofing). The pews and other furniture were purchased from and installed by Budde and Weise of Jackson, Tennessee. The building was dedicated in June, 1925. From that point on, the congregation was known as Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ.

An article in The Florence Times dated June 6, 1925, announced the first services in the new building: "The new church is one of the handsomest edifices in the entire Muscle Shoals District, with exceedingly attractive exterior, and its arrangement is thoroughly modern and convenient, being a distinct addition to the civic and religious life of the community."

In September of 1925, the congregation was shocked by the death of their beloved young minister. While on a trip to visit his family in Tennessee, Smith Chambers,was accidently shot and killed when a revolver in the suitcase of his friend discharged as they were unloading the luggage from the car. Brother Chambers was only 22 years old at the time of his death.

The church immediately began a search for a new minister, trying in the meantime to continue the Lord's work. The following advertisement ran in the November 14, 1925, edition of The Florence Times:

Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ

Free Bus leaves Court and Tennessee Streets at 9 a.m.

Bible School, 9:45 a.m.

Preaching and Lord's Supper, 11:00 a.m.

Mens Bible Study, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Training for Service Class, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

Boys' Bible Study, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Come and Worship with Us!

The congregation continued to grow. In January of 1926, W. Wilford Heflin was hired as a full-time minister. In the church directory published that year, 126 adult members and 165 children are listed. In June, 1928, Sherrod Avenue held a revival with Gus A. Dunn, Jr. as the Speaker. A large tent was erected near the church building. The June 18, 1928, edition of The Florence Times reported the following: "More than a 1000 persons were present last night at the large Gospel tent where the Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ is conducting a revival."  Thirty-three people were baptized at Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ during the June, 1928, revival.  Also during 1928, Vester Walker became the congregation's minister. The following advertisement was published in The Florence Times for 20 weeks beginning in January, 1929:

Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ

Vester Walker, Minister

Bible School, 9:45 a.m.; Preaching at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

All are cordially invited to come worship with us.

We need you. You need us. Come and be welcome.

Evidently because of the 1928 revival's success the congregation made plans for another one the next year.  The headline from an article in the May 6, 1929, edition of The Florence Times states:  "Men of Sherrod Church Discuss Plans For Revival. Tent with capacity of 2000 is to be put up."  The May 6, 1929 article reported: "Most of the time at the Sunday session of the Men's class of the Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ was devoted to discussion of the Busby-Derryberry meeting which will begin May 26th. A big tent will be placed near the church and seats for at least 2000 persons will be installed. Much enthusiasm is being shown by members of that church who expect to make the Busby-Derryberry meeting a great success, leaders of the congregation say."  The ten-day revival was very successful, according to newspaper reports. One article noted "the final service had a record attendance with many having to remain outside the tent in their automobiles."

Boone L. Douthitt became the minister at Sherrod Avenue during 1930. He was followed by Gus Dunn Jr., Fred McClung, C.C. Burns, Thetus Pritchard, and Luther Weathers. In October of 1944, John D. Cox began his ministry at Sherrod Avenue, which almost spanned 20 years. During Brother Cox's sickness and after his death in 1964, Ralph Snell served as the congregation's minister. Jack Wilhelm became the minister at Sherrod Avenue in 1965, and Brother Snell remained as associate minister until 1968. During the 1940s, the congregation at Sherrod Avenue grew rapidly which soon resulted in an overcrowded auditorium during Sunday morning worship. In 1950, the problem of the overcrowded auditorium was

temporarily solved by conducting two Sunday morning worship hours.

In 1951 Sherrod Avenue helped establish the church at Jackson Heights with approximately 75 members. Further growth at Sherrod Avenue demanded that system of two Sunday morning worship services continue until the building was remodeled and enlarged in 1954. The project enlarged the auditorium to seat 700, and added several classrooms and more office space to the building. Growth continued, and in 1958, it became necessary to once again hold two Sunday morning worship hours as well as two classroom periods. In the 1960s, attendance ranged from 750 to 850 on Sunday mornings. One Sunday when Jimmy Allen was the guest speaker, the attendance was 1,045. During this period of time, Sherrod Avenue was the largest

Church of Christ congregation in the state of Alabama. In 1961 the church purchased a house behind the building on Cypress Mill Road; its four rooms were used as additional classrooms. During the next few years, the church purchased more houses on Cypress Mill Road and one on Edgewood Drive, in which Jack Wilhelm and his family lived during the time in which he

was Sherrod's minister.

In 1976, due to deterioration of the original brick, the building was painted with a white sealer. This has effectively preserved the brick.  Bob Brooks became the minister in October of 1967, and was followed by Ray Beason in 1973 . Jack Wilhelm

returned as the minister in 1974 and stayed until 1976.  Bob Plunket became minister in December of 1974, and he and Brother Wilhelm worked together for almost two years. Brother Plunket remained the minister until February of 1985. In March of 1979, Kenny Barfield became the educational director and associate minister. Sid Fulford served as the congregation's minister from 1985 to 2000.

In 1990, the church purchased a house next to the parking lot on Edgewood Drive. Members named it the "Little House" and used it for classrooms and youth activities, as well as bridal and baby showers, teas and other social gatherings. In 2000, the "Little House" was moved away, and the educational building was expanded to add more classrooms, news offices, a library and the Christian Life Center. In April of 2000, Cory Collins began his work as Sherrod Avenue and left in 2005 to join the faculty of Heritage Christian University.  In 2005 Sherrod Avenue brought on Greg Swindle, who serves as the congregation's first Involvement Minister, and then in 2006, Kerry Williams became our current Preaching Minister.

The members of Sherrod Avenue are extremely thankful that our Lord has blessed us with this fine and useful facility. We pray constantly for His guidance so that we may wisely use this structure as a gathering place where we worship Him in truth, enjoy the fellowship of our brothers and sisters, and conduct outreach to spread the Gospel and serve people in need. We realize that, as a growing family, we serve Christ by serving others. 

Sherrod Avenue... A Place to Call Home!