History of the Biloxi congregation:
Who Are the Churches of Christ?
The church of Christ in Biloxi, Mississippi first began to meet sometime around
1925. Sister Maudie Russell reported the church met in the home of her
mother, Sister Lee, at 1620 3rd St. Along with the Lees the Alex Smith and
Charles Clark families met as did an unnamed insurance agent and his family.
The Smith and Clark families came to America from Scotland.
Later the church met in sister Russell’s home on Howard Avenue, then in her
home at 506 Lee St., where she lived until she died. Her husband, Austin
Logan Russell, delivered many of the sermons during that time. The church
continued meeting in that home until 1945 when a brother Little, who preached
a meeting for the church, arranged for the group to meet in the Biloxi City Hall.
In 1947 the first meeting house was built at 212 Keller Place. Sister Marie
Hickson remembered the tears of joy during the first services of the church.
Interestingly, after passing through a couple of different owners, that building
was later used by a small group belonging to the conservative branch of the
Christian Church.
In 1961, a new facility was built at 154 Rodenberg Ave., (now 173 Rodenberg)
and is the present meeting site. With the later addition of an annex, this facility
provides some 15 classrooms, offices, a fellowship area and kitchen, and an
auditorium which seats approximately 300.
The first full- time preacher was Henry Edwards. Brother Edwards preached
when the building on Keller Place was built. He was sponsored by the Lishe
Ave. church in Nashville. After brother Edwards, succeeding preachers have
been: Woodrow Davidson; Monty Montgomery; Hubert Allen; Winston
Atkinson; Gardner Gately; Woodrow Davidson (second term); C.R, Fite; Philip
Bradshaw; Roy Doss; James Bowers; Robert Peek; Michael Wimpey; Larry
Jones; Bill Denton, and Roger Mills (Roger filled two terms as minister here at
Rodenberg. He recently retired and he and his wife Thelma are now living in
Florence, AL). There have been others who have filled the pulpit here for short
times. Out of the men who have preached for the church only two, C.R. Fite
and Bill Denton have been native Mississippians. Our Pulpit minister, Lyle Gilles,
passed away in his sleep early in the morning of January 2, 2009. He had
suffered with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Bill Denton is now our full time pulpit
minister (this is his second term here at Rodenberg).
Previous elders have been: J.C. Hickson; Donald Davis; Robert Holt; James
Bowers; Dwain Jones; Joe Rogers; Russell Butcher and Bob Cunningham. At
this time we have no elders or deacons – however, this is an important part of
the Lord’s plan for the church and we are prayerfully working hard to fill these
positions.
The church here has for a very long time been supported by those stationed at
Keesler Air Force Base either on temporary or permanent status. During the
1980’s the church was approximately 70% military and these Christians were a
vital and important part of the church. We have in the past and do also in the
present consider it a privilege to be that home away from home for so many.
Whether for short or long stays we honor our service men and women and
continually pray for God to grant them safety, peace, and strength as they serve
here and abroad.
In the foyer of our building you may notice a plaque dedicated to the memory of
our dear brother Robert E. Lee, the “Candy Man”. Brother Lee was the
brother to Maudie Russell and the son of the Lee’s who opened their home for
Biloxi’s first meeting place in the 1920’s. Brother Lee would stand at the door
and greet everyone as they entered. You would truly think he had been waiting
there “just for you” when you arrived at Rodenberg for the first time. He always
gave candy to the children, thus the name “Candy Man”. Our desire is to carry
on his grand tradition of welcoming those that come to worship with us as well
as being a special place that children always desire to come.
1925. Sister Maudie Russell reported the church met in the home of her
mother, Sister Lee, at 1620 3rd St. Along with the Lees the Alex Smith and
Charles Clark families met as did an unnamed insurance agent and his family.
The Smith and Clark families came to America from Scotland.
Later the church met in sister Russell’s home on Howard Avenue, then in her
home at 506 Lee St., where she lived until she died. Her husband, Austin
Logan Russell, delivered many of the sermons during that time. The church
continued meeting in that home until 1945 when a brother Little, who preached
a meeting for the church, arranged for the group to meet in the Biloxi City Hall.
In 1947 the first meeting house was built at 212 Keller Place. Sister Marie
Hickson remembered the tears of joy during the first services of the church.
Interestingly, after passing through a couple of different owners, that building
was later used by a small group belonging to the conservative branch of the
Christian Church.
In 1961, a new facility was built at 154 Rodenberg Ave., (now 173 Rodenberg)
and is the present meeting site. With the later addition of an annex, this facility
provides some 15 classrooms, offices, a fellowship area and kitchen, and an
auditorium which seats approximately 300.
The first full- time preacher was Henry Edwards. Brother Edwards preached
when the building on Keller Place was built. He was sponsored by the Lishe
Ave. church in Nashville. After brother Edwards, succeeding preachers have
been: Woodrow Davidson; Monty Montgomery; Hubert Allen; Winston
Atkinson; Gardner Gately; Woodrow Davidson (second term); C.R, Fite; Philip
Bradshaw; Roy Doss; James Bowers; Robert Peek; Michael Wimpey; Larry
Jones; Bill Denton, and Roger Mills (Roger filled two terms as minister here at
Rodenberg. He recently retired and he and his wife Thelma are now living in
Florence, AL). There have been others who have filled the pulpit here for short
times. Out of the men who have preached for the church only two, C.R. Fite
and Bill Denton have been native Mississippians. Our Pulpit minister, Lyle Gilles,
passed away in his sleep early in the morning of January 2, 2009. He had
suffered with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Bill Denton is now our full time pulpit
minister (this is his second term here at Rodenberg).
Previous elders have been: J.C. Hickson; Donald Davis; Robert Holt; James
Bowers; Dwain Jones; Joe Rogers; Russell Butcher and Bob Cunningham. At
this time we have no elders or deacons – however, this is an important part of
the Lord’s plan for the church and we are prayerfully working hard to fill these
positions.
The church here has for a very long time been supported by those stationed at
Keesler Air Force Base either on temporary or permanent status. During the
1980’s the church was approximately 70% military and these Christians were a
vital and important part of the church. We have in the past and do also in the
present consider it a privilege to be that home away from home for so many.
Whether for short or long stays we honor our service men and women and
continually pray for God to grant them safety, peace, and strength as they serve
here and abroad.
In the foyer of our building you may notice a plaque dedicated to the memory of
our dear brother Robert E. Lee, the “Candy Man”. Brother Lee was the
brother to Maudie Russell and the son of the Lee’s who opened their home for
Biloxi’s first meeting place in the 1920’s. Brother Lee would stand at the door
and greet everyone as they entered. You would truly think he had been waiting
there “just for you” when you arrived at Rodenberg for the first time. He always
gave candy to the children, thus the name “Candy Man”. Our desire is to carry
on his grand tradition of welcoming those that come to worship with us as well
as being a special place that children always desire to come.
We belong to a fellowship of thousands of congregations world wide who are
devoted to the idea of being directed in all matters by the Scriptures alone.
There are no church headquarters, no church hierarchy, no human leaders or
“head” of the worldwide church. Each congregation is autonomous and directed
by its own locally assigned leaders.
Our goal is to reach out to our community with the gospel of Christ and provide
a place for all Christians to grow spiritually regardless of their particular cultural
background or place in society.
In our efforts to model the first-century church, we may look different than many
other non-denominational churches. The most noticeable difference is that we
worship together without musical instruments. We believe that this encourages
everyone to participate worship.
Worship is a verb so we encourage everyone to singing praises to God. Four-
part harmony in worship is truly beautiful.
If you come to worship with us, you might witness someone coming to Christ.
We believe that a relationship with Jesus starts when a person realizes that
he/she is a sinner and that Christ has died for those sins. We also believe that
baptism, or immersion, is crucial in order to: 1) obey the example of Christ, 2)
receive God’s grace and the forgiveness of their sins, and 3) receive the Holy
Spirit, who helps us grow to be more like Christ every day.
At the Churches of Christ you’ll find:
Biblical truth taught in love.
Fulfilling worship, Bible classes and activities for everyone.
Real ministry opportunities.
Bible classes are offered Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. These
offer you the opportunity to study God’s word with others.
If you do not have a Bible there are Bibles located on the Visitor's table in the
foyer. Please feel free to take one - they are available to you free of charge.
About Us
Rodenberg Church of Christ
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
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