User:Manhattan Heights Church of Christ/sandbox/Manhattan Heights Church of Christ in Lubbock, TX

Manhattan Heights Church of Christ is located at 1702 East 26th Street, Lubbock, TX, 79404, at the corner of East 26th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. It's located in the Dunbar-Manhattan Heights neighborhood.

Manhattan Heights Church of Christ is located at the following coordinates: Latitude: 33°34'15.31" Longitude: -101°49'5.6"

The elevation above sea level is 971 meters or 3185 feet.

The following are the meeting times for Manhattan Heights Church of Christ: Sunday: Bible Class at 9:00 AM Worship at 10:15 AM and 5:00 PM Wednesday: Bible Class at 7:00 PM Phone:  806-763-0582 

The church has a Vacation Bible School and a Gospel Meeting every year in June. The church also supports mission works in India, Ghana, Mexico, and Haiti.

History of Manhattan Heights Church of Christ

The Church of Christ at Manhattan Heights in Lubbock, Texas began in October, 1949 as Seiber Heights Church of Christ in a small dwelling located at the corner of East 26th Street and Redbud Avenue, which was owned by Bro. Ray D. Lea. The work was started by Bro. David Johnson, Bro. Wiley Johnson, Bro. McKnight, and Bro. Ray D. Lea, all of whom were members of the 20th and Birch Church of Christ in Lubbock and they also lived in the Seiber Heights neighborhood. They also did the gospel preaching for the congregation until 1952.

In 1951, the congregation had outgrown the facility, so the brethren purchased two lots at 1710 East 26th Street. The Sunset Church of Christ in Lubbock provided the building for the lot. The Sunset congregation also helped support the work until Seiber Heights Church of Christ became self-supporting in 1965.

Bro. Chilton Thomas was hired as Minister in 1952. When he became ill, the Sunset church sent brothers to preach on the Lord’s Day. Also, Bro. A.G. Graves and family came from the 20th and Birch congregation to help with the work. Bro. Thomas passed in 1961. Bro. Homer Gamble was the interim preacher for the next six months.

Bro. Roy Beaty was hired as Minister in February, 1962. At that time, he was attending Eastern New Mexico State University. His family moved to Lubbock in June, 1962. The lots at 1710 East 26th Street were purchased by Urban Renewal in 1963, so the church purchased two lots at 1702 East 26th Street, which is our current location. The Monterey Church of Christ in Lubbock provided the building. The congregation became self-supporting in 1965 while Bro. Beaty was the Minister.

The name of the congregation was changed to Manhattan Heights Church of Christ in 1965. Bro. Frank Melton, Jr. conducted the dedi- cation services. Bro. Beaty moved to Houston, TX in 1966.

Bro. David McFalls, a member, was hired as Minister in 1966. He and his wife were also house parents at the Children’s Home of Lubbock, and he was also a student at the Sunset School of Preaching. When he graduated, he left to do foreign mission work.

Bro. Thomas Campbell, a member, was then hired as Minister, and he was also a student at Sunset School of Preaching. While he was here, the congregation started to conduct our own Vacation Bible School. Up until that time, the VBS was conducted by the Sentinel Bookstore (which later became Bailey’s Bookstore). The bookstore had been providing the VBS materials and the teachers.

Bro. Verbal Evans was employed as Minister after Bro. Campbell graduated from preaching school and went back to Florida. The debt on the property was paid off under Bro. Evans’ leadership, and the two adjacent lots were purchased while he was Minister. Bro. Evans left in 1976.

Bro. Larry Hambrick, Sr. was Minister from 1976 to 1989. A youth ministry was started under his leadership. He was also very active in personal evangelism and prison ministry.

Bro. Jeff Caruthers was Minister for one year, but while he was here the church started a bus ministry and a nursing home ministry.

Bro. George Brown was hired as Minister, and he was very active in teaching the young men how to teach and preach. Bro. Earnest Peeples was also active with the youth ministry.

Bro. Tyrone N. DuBose has been the Minister since 1994. Under his ministry, the church has been active in foreign missions. Bro. DuBose started doing missionary work in India with Bro. Sonny Lee from Idalou, TX. Bro. DuBose first went to India in 1994, and he has been there eleven times. He and Bro. Lee were involved in the work at Rampachadavorum and Tuni (in the Andhra Pradesh state). Many souls have obeyed the gospel there. The Manhattan Heights congregation has provided funds to build five church buildings in India. The India work was started by Bro. B. Ratnam after he was converted by Bro. J. C. Bailey in 1972. As of January, 2015, there are over 1,521 gospel preachers, almost 4,000 congregations, and approximately 450,000 total Christians as a result of this great mission work! To God be the glory as He continues to give the increase! (I Corinthians 3: 6,7) This mission work is currently under the oversight of the Willette church of Christ in Red Boiling Springs, TN. Bro. Jack Honeycutt is the full-time coordinator. 

The Manhattan Heights congregation also provides monthly support to Bro. Wilson Ebo Prah at the Gamoa Tarkwa church of Christ in Ghana. He graduated from the Swedru International Bible Institute in 2006, where Bro. David Essuman is the director. We also decided in 2006 to provide monthly support for Bro. Margarito Camacho Ortiz in Jaurez, Mexico. He preaches for the Periodista congregation.

This congregation also provides support for the church of Christ in Haiti, as well as providing funds for the orphans there. Bro. DuBose and Bro. Sonny Lee did missionary work in Haiti in 2013 and 2014.

In the fall of 2006, the name was changed to the Church of Christ at Manhattan Heights so that Christ would receive the glory rather than the name of the location.

This congregation hosted the 32nd Annual Texas State Lectureship on January 8-11, 2007 with the support of the West Texas Area churches of Christ. The theme was “Men Who Know The Times… And What The Church Ought To Do” (from I Chronicles 12:32 and Romans 13:11-12).

The preachers who spoke were Bro. Owen D. Carr, Bro. Earnest Peeples, Bro. H. Clay Williams, Bro. Tyrone N. DuBose, Bro. Emery Tease, Bro. DeLaine Rapp, Bro. Wayne Lemons, Bro. Ron Guzman, Bro. John Scott, Bro. Raymond Christopher, Bro. Truitt Adair, Bro. Frankie Lemons, Bro. Edward Tolbert, Bro. Paul Day, Bro. Billie Lemons, Bro. Royce Lemon, Bro. Larry M. Hambrick, Sr., Bro. Kevin Jones, Bro. Creig Christman, Bro. James Maxwell, Bro. Jeremy Sigle, Bro. Gerald Jackson, Bro. Joseph Walsh, Bro. Leander Johnson, Bro. Jack Evans, Sr., Bro. Steve Gauntt, Bro. Jamell K. Hamilton, Bro. Peter Martin, Bro. Barron Jones, Bro. Ramon Hodridge, Bro. Collin Reid, and Bro. Willie B. Williams. Other preachers who spoke were Bro. Justin White, Bro. Ed Wharton, Bro. Bill Everett, Bro. Benjamin Myers, Bro. Howard Adams, Bro. R. L. Clark, Jr., Bro. Johnny Bond, Bro. Jerry Don Norris, Bro. R. L. Clark, Sr., Bro. Jonathan Morrison, Bro. Loyial James Williams III, Bro. Anthony Johnson, Bro. C. E. Shaw, Bro. Shelton Gibbs III, Bro. Jeremy Myers, Bro. Roy Beaty, Bro. Patrick Worthy, Bro. Willie Cox, Bro. Willie B. Bradley, Bro. Rickey Gordon, Bro. Ben Foster, Bro. Reginald Reed, Bro. James Wilson, Bro. Clifton Douglas, Bro. Frank Melton, Jr., Bro. Theaster Maloy, Bro. Cephas Northcutt, Sr., Bro. Micheal Williams, and the Keynote Speaker was Bro. George Williams.

(the majority of this historical profile was provided by Sister Ella Sanders)