Vaughn Park Church Is a Diverse Congregation of Christ's

Vaughn Park Church is a diverse congregation of Christ’s disciples serving greater Montgomery, Alabama, through loving service, heartfelt worship, Biblical teaching and relevant evangelism. 2 Table of Contents Vision and Mission . 5 History . 6 Congregational Assessment . 12 Community Assessment . .16 Kingdom Assessment . 33 Search Committee . 39 3 Living for Him, Speaking about Him, Serving in His name 4 Vision Showing God’s love to all the world by living for Him, speaking about Him, and serving in His name. Mission Living for Him We will live sacrificially . We will be fervent in our pursuit of holiness . We will worship him passionately . Speaking about Him We will speak about God to unbelievers by proclaiming the gospel . We will speak about God to believers by studying the Scriptures together . We will speak about God as we encourage and advise each other . Serving in His Name We will use our spiritual gifts to build up the body in love . We will offer our resources to build up the church and serve our community . We will offer our time and our labor to build up the church and our community . The Vaughn Park church will be led by the Spirit, all to the glory of God. 5 A History of Montgomery and Vaughn Park Church The history of Montgomery William Lowndes Yancey, an probate office granted at least embodies complexity, diversity, Alabama state legislator and U .S . 164 licenses to slave traders and innovation . Parts of that Congressional representative, operating in the city from 1848 past are tied to some of the most led the charge for Alabama’s to 1860 . Nearly 45% of the city’s somber episodes in American secession from the Union, population was made up of history -Slavery, Reconstruction, following Abraham Lincoln’s slaves . Montgomery became and the Jim Crow era . However, election in 1860 . On January 11, one of the most important it is also the birthplace of the 1861 the Ordinance of Secession and conspicuous slave trading Civil Rights movement, home passed and Alabama seceded . communities in the United to one of the first electric street One month later representatives cars, and the Wright Brothers’ from Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Flight School . Montgomery is Mississippi, and South Carolina full of history that is just waiting met in Montgomery to form the to be explored, understood, and Confederate States of America . appreciated . Montgomery was named its first In 1819, two towns located capital . on the Alabama River, New Cotton drove the economy Philadelphia and East Alabama in the Confederate states . With Town, merged to form the the introduction of the cotton city of Montgomery . This new gin, prime location, and a community was named for robust transportation system, States . This abhorrent part of the General Richard Montgomery, a Montgomery dominated this past should never be omitted . patriot who died in the American industry . The city’s population Almost a century after the end of Revolutionary War . After many and revenue flourished the Confederacy, Montgomery decades of growth and change, expeditiously . As the cotton would be the cradle of another Montgomery became the fifth trade grew, so did Montgomery’s significant period in U .S . History . and final state capital in 1846 . slave trade . The Montgomery In December 1955, the 6 birth story was quite unique . Typically churches that merge occur from a split, division, or conflict within a congregation . Some happen because of a decrease in membership or a decline in spiritual motivation and commitment . Vaughn Park was special because it didn’t fit either category . Frankly put, two thriving churches decided to come together to better serve God and the city of Montgomery . In 1983 talks began between Lakewood, Druid Hills, and Carriage Hill Churches of Christ . After careful consideration, Montgomery Bus Boycott began times in history, the city was the the elders felt that there was a following the arrest of Claudette epicenter for riveting innovation . better compatibility between Colvin, and later Rosa Parks, In 1886, Montgomery unveiled Lakewood and Druid Hills . The who both refused to give up a city-wide electric car system . leaders in the two congregations their seats to white passengers . It was nicknamed the Lightning began conversations in the Fred D . Gray, a Montgomery Route and was one of the first summer of 1984 . By that time native, prominent Civil Rights of its kind to operate in the both churches had outgrown attorney, and Church of Christ country . This technology was their facilities . After exploring preacher, defended Colvin and the blueprint for depopulating several different sites in the city, Parks, who were charged with residential city centers and the elders found the perfect disorderly conduct . These events gave rise to the development of spot: a beautiful cow pasture dramatically altered the course modern-day suburbs across the of history, not only in this city United States . In 1910, brothers but throughout the country . The Wilbur and Orville chose an boycott ended the following old cotton plantation on the December when the United outskirts of Montgomery to be States Supreme Court declared the home of the Wright Brothers that segregated buses were Flying School . Soon after it unconstitutional . These events closed, the location served as were crucial to the Civil Rights an aircraft building and repair movement and paved the road to depot during World War I . This desegregation in the country . Dr . installation became Maxwell Air Martin Luther King, Jr . returned Force Base . The Air University was to Montgomery in 1965 to lead established on these grounds in the Selma to Montgomery 1946 and still educates military March, protesting unfair voting officers from around the world . standards for blacks and the Jim The Vaughn Park Church Crow laws . The march brought of Christ, like the city of national attention and led to the Montgomery, began with two Voting Rights Act of 1965 . groups coming together to build Amidst these two diametrical a better community . Our church’s 7 left those meetings with one mindset, and we spoke as one unit ”. George Mitchell, Clyde Barganier, Sam Cooper, Charles Draper, Mike Greene, Robert Woods, Randall Bailey, Bill Dodson, Doyle Springer, Jody Pigg, Gordon Ward, Roxy Wishum, Allen Lassiter, Terry Brown, Ronnie Rolph, Mike Rogers, and Herman Hedgspeth are all previous elders who adopted the same sense of oneness . Currently Dale Entrekin, centrally located between the “It was quite the experience . David Savage, Ben Young, Ken two churches, on the corner of There had to be a lot of expressed Copeland, Doug McCarty, Mark Vaughn and Perry Hill Roads . love and understanding going Trevathan, Steve Nelson, Steve Unfortunately, this plot was on ”. In the same article Pace said, Bullington, and Mitch Henry not for sale at any price . The “I think the fact that we got along have followed their predecessors’ family who owned it had been so well helped the members footsteps in leading our church in approached by many others but get along ”. The ministers that unity . refused to sell . Clyde Barganier, followed Mathis and Pace are Before the two churches a former elder said, “ It took a lot Mark Smith (1995-1999), Carlus physically joined, leadership of negotiating and praying to Gupton (1999-2001), and Brad used an unprecedented get the family to sell us the land . Sullivan (2002-2019) . None of method to assess whether the We had to agree to make sure them had the unique experience congregations would work that the church’s design would of a shared pulpit . However, they together . They swapped Bible be aesthetically pleasing to the all exhibited the same disposition class teachers . Each congregation area, and we would not under of harmony to the congregants . sent their teachers to the other any circumstance bring in any The first elders to serve church to conduct classes . The brightly lit signage around the Vaughn Park were Emory exchange was wildly successful . property ”. Design plans for the (Mac) McKinney, Wiley Cutts, The first joint worship service on new construction were drawn up Charles Elliott, Jack Quinn, R .C . December 16, 1984 was held at and shared with the owners for Bates, Wilburn Bullington, Sam the Davis Theater in downtown review . They were pleased and a Cannerday, and Tom Estes . Sadly, Montgomery . Over 700 people letter of intent to purchase was Mac McKinney passed away attended . Before the new signed on March 10, 1985 . before the merger was complete . construction was completed, Unity and cooperation were The elders became one the key ingredients to making cohesive group because of the the merger successful . These many meetings they had in elements were especially evident planning the new congregation . in the pulpit . Don Mathis and Charles Elliot, a former elder said, Martel Pace, both preaching “Putting two groups of elders ministers from each church, together wasn’t always easy . shared the pulpit duties during We had differences of opinion the first years . Mathis said in a sometimes, but we always found Montgomery Advertiser article, common ground . We always 8 provided educational workshops, family programs, youth sports, and charity events . The church is not the building, it is the people . Brad Sullivan, a former minister said, “Vaughn Park is the most loving, giving church I’ve ever been a part of ”. In 2005, we were the first church in Montgomery to open its doors to Hurricane Katrina evacuees and the last to close . Recently Vaughn Park provided relief to displaced communities from Panama City, FL after Hurricane Michael . We have a variety of ways for members to connect, worship, Druid Hills church was leased to make a statement . I believe we and serve . Our ministries include Southern Technical College . This have been true to our purpose .

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