History of
Chartered March6, 1966, the newly formed congregation met at Peggy’s Playhouse on Industrial Blvd while constructing the permanent church at 3309 Knickerbocker Road. 65 people from 30 families.
Mr. & Mrs. 0. H. McKissicks, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Elliott, Mr. & Mrs. Ken Hubbell, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Allison, Mr. & Mrs. Earnest Aycock, Mr. & Mrs. Wade Choate, Mr. & Mrs. Alan Borger, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Crews, Mr. & Mrs. Jim Dunham ,Mr. & Mrs. C. M. Holdridge, Mr. & Mrs. Garland Holloway, Mr. & Mrs. Bob Hurt, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Koederitz, Mrs. Virginia Longenette, Mr. & Mrs. Joe Maroof,
Mr. & Mrs. W. I. Marschall, Jr., Mr. & Mrs. Bill Seaman, Dean and Mrs. Sid Stevenson, Mr. & Mrs. Ron Townsend, Mr. & Mrs. J. L . Tucker, Mr. & Mrs. Larry Reed, Mrs. Nina Sonberg, Mr. & Mrs. Jimmie Bowen, Mr. Cecil Henderson, Mrs. Kenneth Middleton, Miss Judi Reneau,
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Simpson, Mr. Oneal Westbrook, Mrs. Orval (Cherry) Turner, Ronnie Sides, Mr. & Mrs. Richard Wallace, Mr. & Mrs. Gus Alexander, Neal Barkely, Bob Clark, Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Dodson, Dale Henson, Ray Ifera, Roy Kidd, Mrs. Carol Babb
Charter members
Ministers of College Hills Christian Church
COLLEGE HILLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH
MINISTERS AND INTERIMS
1966-2002
1. REV. JIM RUDD
2. REV. SHELBY ANGLEMYER (interim)
3. REV. TIMOTHY GRIFFIN
4. REV. DEAN BRIGHAM
5. REV. ONEAL WESTBROOK (part-time pastor)
6. REV. RON KEITH
7. REV. NEIL POINTER (interim)
8. REV. RAY FANCHER
9. REV. HOWARD REATHER (interim)
10. REV. DAVID & GINGER JARMAN
11. REV. DALE HARTER (interim)
12. REV. BEN TODD
13. REV. SYD CARNES (interim)
14. REV. ANDREW PATE
15. REV. ONEAL WESTBROOK (transitional pastor)
Jun.15,1966 - Feb.15,1969
Feb.16,1969 - 0ct.1969
Oct.1969 - Jan.1973
Jan.1973 - Jun.1973
Jun.1973 - Jun.1975
1975 - 1981
1981 - 1982
1982 - 1985
1985 - 1986
1986 - 1995
1995 - 1996
1996 - 1999
1999 - 2000
2000 - 2001
2001 - 2022
History 1966-1981
On March 6, 1966, thirty families were commissioned from First Christian Church to organize a third Christian Church in the Southwest area of San Angelo. These thirty families numbered sixty-five members. Charter membership was held open for six months, and at the end of this time there were eighty-nine members.
The members first met at Peggy's Playhouse, during which time Sid Stevenson preached for us while serving other local churches.
College Hills Christian Church called Rev. Jim Rudd to serve as our first full-time minister. He served from 1966-69. During his ministry, a Building Fund drive was begun. By May 21, 1967 the church had oversubscribed their goal of $19,000,000 by $844. There was one hundred percent participation by our members. First Christian Church and Lakeview Christian Church also participated with contributions.
Groundbreaking was held on February 18, 1968, and the dedication was on September 22, 1968.
After Rev. Rudd left, Rev. Shelby Anglemeyer was the interim minister until Tim Griffin came as the second minister in October 1969. Tim resigned as our minister on January 1, 1973 and Dean Brigham served as interim minister. In June 1973, charter member, Oneal Westbrook, assumed position of part-time minister, and served that position until Rev. Ronald Keith was called in June 1975. Rev. Keith resigned on August 15, 1981. Rev. Guy Sawyer served as interim minister during the month of October. Rev. Neil Pointer assumed this position until the next minister was called.
In the early church, the Christian Women's Fellowship was active from the beginnig. The church and ministers participated in community projects as well as brotherhood ministries. The Brooke Whitsitt memorial Youth Ministry Fund enabled the church to fund summer ministerial interns. Many adult members volunteered each summer in the Central Area camping program at Lake Brownwood Youth Camp. The church organized active youth groups, two adult Sunday School classes with an average of 12 to 14 adults per class and four youth Sunday School classes with an average of 25 children per Sunday.
The church continuously made improvements on the church building which contained six Sunday school rooms, a baby nursery, minister's office, kitchen and fellowship hall that also served as our sanctuary until 1986. Both the first and second sanctuaries contained a baptistry, a raised area where the choir and minister sit, new carpeting and pews.
In the late 1980’s, the church purchased a new sign for the front of the church in order to make ourselves more visible as there are many commercial buildings and signs on either side of us.
College Hills Christian Church received recognition as one of the top-40 fastest growing Disciples of Christ churches at the 1980 National Evangelism Workshop in Amarillo, Texas.
an early church service of the new College Hills Christian congregation who met at Peggy’s playhouse.
Established on Knickerbocker Road
College Hills Christian Church was one of the first structures built on Knickerbocker Road in the late 1960’s, Knickerbocker would go on to be established as a major arterial road leading to the south side of San Angelo. This was the first structure on the southeast side of Knickerbocker between the Red Arroyo and Loop 306.
Pictured in the aerial: On the right, the College Hills neighborhood. On the left, the South College Hills neighborhood.
Generous donation
Land for the new church was graciously donated by Mr. and Mrs. Tom Nasworthy in memory of Mr. Nasworthy’s father, the late John R. Nasworthy. Both of were present at the opening ceremony for the church. Both are pictured with Rev. Jim Rudd in the center.
Original Plan
Along with the original sanctuary was a plan for expansion, but was never pursued. Instead, a different plan was approved in 1985 and completed in 1986.
Welcome
Angelo Christians designed symbol
By BILL HINNANT
San Angelo Standard-Times Religious Editor
February 14, 1969 (Evening Edition)
Symbolism has always been one of the means by which Christianity has sought to speak its message to mankind, said the Rev. Jim Rudd, former pastor of the College Hills Christian Church, who recently resigned to become associate pastor at the Rosemont Christian Church in Dallas.
"Most church architecture attempts to employ some type of symbolism as a special feature of a church building. Such was the case with the College Hills Christian Church when they constructed their first unit on Knickerbocker Road last July (1968). Many passersby have wondered about the meaning of that particular symbol,” the Rev. Mr. Rudd said.
The symbol was adapted from a similar one used by the local Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) during the past decade when the brotherhood was restructuring its church life.
Dr. Richard W. Crews, former minister of First Christian, along with members of College Hills Christian, helped design the symbol.
The central feature of the symbol is the Cross, which represents the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. Measuring devices, one representing the Old Testament and the other representing the New Testament are the other two features of the symbol. The plumb line on the left of the symbol is mentioned in the Old Testament book of the prophet Amos. The book tells that Amos had seen a vision in which the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line. The meaning of the vision was that God was going to measure His people just as one measures a wall to see if it is straight. (Amos 7:7-9)
The tri-square on the right of the symbol represents the concept that followers of Christ are measured by the standard on the One they seek to follow. This idea is found in Ephesians, where the Apostle Paul writes that we are to grow up "to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ . . .” (Ephesians 4:13)
Theme of the entire symbol is summed by the phrase, "Measured By Christ.” It is a worthy goal for anyone who calls himself a Christian. It is part of the message which Christianity speaks to all of mankind, the Rev. Mr. Rudd said.
The meaning of our emblem
Bazaars were a thing
Vickie Ray, Kaye Alexander & Brenda Clark.
Children’s Nativity play in December of 1970.
College Hills Christian congregation
approximately 1977
In February of 1986, ground was broken for the construction of the current sanctuary, completed in the Fall of 1986.
