Home About Us
About Us
History PDF Print E-mail

 A Brief History of the Grant Street Church of Christ

                                                                                                                                            The Lord's church had its beginning in Decatur with the start of what is now the Grant Street congregation.    In 1910 a tent meeting was conducted on the spot where the building now stands. With R.N. Moody assisting, seven members rented a hall on Second Avenue.   In a short time they rented a school house on Jackson Street in what was then New Decatur or Albany.    Soon they bought this building and enlarged it to more than double its seating capacity.   The photo here is of the congregation in 1910.


In 1914, J.P. Ezell began work with the congregation and remained until 1921. Brethren Moody and Ezell laid a good foundation for its continued growth. The first elders were: Joseph Ward. AC. Joiner, C.U. Campbell, Davis Hodges, J.W. Flowers and Wheeler Wilson.
Claude Woodruff worked with the church for two years following J.P. Ezell, then in 1924, Thornton Crews came. The present building, or the main part of it was erected during the GSCOC 1928ministry of Brother Crews in 1925. The black and white photo at the right is of the congregation in front of the building in 1928.

JR. Greer worked here from 1927 until 1930. The church was without a regular preacher until 1934, when George Emptage came and stayed until 1936. R.D. Underwood followed him and Lindsey Allen came in 1937.

Brother Allen was followed by R.D. Underwood who was here for the second time, then Charles Brewer, Charles Chumley, Irvin Lee, Jimmy Faulkner, Elbert Young, Ralph Stout and Mike King. For a period of three months in 2002, Dennis Jones served as the interim preacher. In June 2002 Alan Watkins began his work as Grant Street's full time minister.

GSCOC History in Pictures 

During Brother Underwood’s second labor with the congregation, in 1948, the educational unit was added to the building and in 1969 the entire facility was renovated.

Great men, some of whom have gone home, have served as elders and preachers and have left the church with a great history. There have been no bigger challenge nor greater work, however, than at the present under the oversight of its elders: Eddie Anderson, Harold Bailey, Sam Evans, Gene Grindstaff, Ken Pirtle, Jere Spurlin, and Doug Weatherspoon.

.

GSCOC 2000 

 

Space would fail to mention those of the past and present who have

served in varied capacities, but we thank God for everyone and ask

his blessings on our present labors.

 

 

 
Last Updated ( Sunday, 16 August 2009 11:03 )
 
Meet the Staff PDF Print E-mail

Meet the staff of the Grant StreetChurch of Christ

Alan Watkins, Pulpit Minister

Alan Watkins was born September 5, 1954. He and his wife Janice have three children, Alan Dale, Meagan, Heather and three grandchildren.

Alan has been a gospel preacher for 27 years. He comes from a preaching family. His father, James Watkins, has been a preacher for more than 57 years and is featured on a nationwide television ministry called Preaching The Gospel with James Watkins. This program airs in Decatur on Sunday mornings at 7:00 on Fox 54. Alan's brother, Bill, is the preacher at Crieve Hall church in Nashville, TN. Alan has served churches in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee as well as conducted many revival meetings. He has traveled numerous times to Guyana, South America on mission trips. He graduated from Freed-HardemanUniversity in 1976 with a Bachelors degree in Bible. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Old Testament Theology in 1991 at Southern Christian University.  He is an avid sportsman especially with interests in hunting, fishing and enyoys a round of golf when time permits.

Alan began with the Grant Street congregation in June of 2002. He is energized about the opportunities that Decatur offers to his family and to the Grant Street church. "Grant Street is a loving and compassionate family of people with a long and glorious history. However, I am more excited about the future of this great congregation than her past. Though we may not be the largest religious group in town, rest assured there are no larger hearts anywhere than right here at Grant Street. This family has a loving and forgiving spirit. Combining that with Gods blessings that accrue to those who love and serve him, we have a fantastic future down this road we call life.

We are enthusiastic about the possibilities presented as a result of our working together with Alan and Janice. We believe that even though we have been in our current location since 1925, our best days are yet to come!

 

 

Barry Binion, Associate Minister (Young Adults/Outreach)

 

Barry Binion, Associate Minister

    

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­   Barry Binion and his family began working with the Grant Street  Church of Christ in June of 2007. He is a native of Newnan, Ga. and attended Freed-HardemanUniversity in Henderson, Tn. There he received a B.A. degree in Bibical Studies. He is married to the former Gretta Hills of Corinth, Ms. Barry & Gretta have three children, Brady, Nolan and Jordan.

Barry has worked in full time ministry since 1995. He has worked with the Austinville Church of Christ and the Hartselle Church of Christ in North Alabama. He has 22also served churches in Tennessee and Georgia.

Serving in ministry is a part of his life. There is nothing more he would rather do than to serve God in this way. Preaching the gospel and ministering to others are a few highlights in ministry for him. Barry also enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports with his sons and following Georgia Bulldog football.

Barry & Gretta are excited about their work with Grant Street! They are also excited about what Grant Street can do to aid them as they raise their family. There are so many lost souls in the world and they are looking for hope. We as Christians need to be sharing that hope with them through the way we live, work and play.

 

Keith Jett, Youth Minister

Keith Jett graduated from Southern Christian University in 1997 ith a BA in Theology. He is currently working on his Masters of Divinity from RegionsUniversity. He has been attending Grant Street since August 2005.

Keith is married to the former Teresa Pirtle, and they have two wonderful children, Jonathan and Anna. Jonathan is married to their wonderful daughter-in-law Megan. They all worship together at Grant Street. His hobbies include working on old cars, hunting and collecting coins/stamps.
He is a Chaplain with the Decatur Police Department and has been with since the inception of the program in 2001.

Keith brings to the youth ministry a strong desire to serve God and be solid in the word,
as well as a heart to serve others. He is energetic and excited about serving the Lord and
working with the amazing young people at Grant Street. He believes that the young are
not the church leaders of the future, but they are the leaders of today. He encourages
each child to find their Talent and to use it for the Lord.
 

 

Heather Kalonick, Church Secretary

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Heather Kalonick graduated from Freed-HardemanUniversity in 2005 with a BA in Theatre Performance.

During her time in college, she participated in a number of ministries, from foreign missions to children's Bible classes. She continues her interest in both these efforts and others in her work with the church at Grant Street. 

 

 
Last Updated ( Sunday, 16 August 2009 11:19 )
 
More Articles...
«StartPrev123NextEnd»

Page 1 of 3