By the end of the Civil War, more than 750,000 soldiers had died — more than the combined losses of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Locals from Bedford County, in nearly equal numbers, had enlisted on opposing sides of the battle lines. No doubt, brother fought against brother. Father fought against son. Families across the Volunteer State were left devastated. Our nation — and community — was mortally wounded.
It was during this era that Brother W.H. Goodloe, a minister from the neighboring city of Murfreesboro, held an extended revival. Goodloe’s church was born from the Protestant Reformation movement sweeping across the American frontier and the South. Its core values included restoring Christian unity.
Nearly four million people had emerged from slavery following President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Families were fractured. Crops were failing. There was a cholera epidemic. It was during this time, in 1866, that the “Disciples of Christ” formed the Shelbyville First Christian Church (FCC) and became a light shining into this dark corner of the world.
Services were sporadic until J.W.C. Bryant, a nephew of Alexander Campbell, one of the founding fathers of the Stone-Campbell Movement that gave rise to the Disciples of Christ, moved to Shelbyville in the late 1870s. Under Bryant’s leadership, the congregation met regularly in several downtown locations, including the newly rebuilt courthouse. Bryant also helped secure John D. Floyd of Flat Creek as their part-time pastor.
As the congregation grew, they purchased the old Methodist Episcopal Church on what is now North Main Street in a section locally known as “Black Bottom.” Before the Urban Renewal Program in the early 1960s, this area was prone to catastrophic flooding. During the Great Flood of 1902, water rose to the tops of the FCC’s windows and destroyed its annex.
Five years later, they built a substantial Gothic-style building on the southwest corner of Depot and Jefferson Street, where the current AT&T tower now sits. Nine large stained-glass windows depicting Christ, along with emblems of the Christian faith — a dove, a lamp, lilies, an open Bible, a grapevine, and a white cross with a golden crown — welcomed the congregation into the new building. Each window had been carefully inscribed with God’s words specific to the images of Christ or the emblems depicted.
Though the Great Depression loomed, additional classrooms were added in 1931 when a group of church ladies known as the Christian Womens Fellowship (CWF) paid the architect’s fees and assumed the $1,000 debt to build an annex. Later, in 1947, an adjacent building was added, which included classrooms, offices, and a fellowship hall.
In 1952, the Bedford County General Hospital relocated to Union Street, leaving the property at 309 Madison St. vacant. This property included a towered Italianate brick mansion built in the 1840s. A large “modern” west wing had been added to the home to accommodate the hospital’s needs.
Challenged with a growing congregation, the FCC purchased this property in 1959. The existing hospital building was renovated to include classrooms, a fellowship hall, and office space. In 1961, the congregation laid the cornerstone for their new sanctuary. The older educational building was demolished in 2001 and replaced with a $1.5 million multipurpose facility.
Fortunately, before it was demolished, the Depot Street sanctuary’s stained glass windows were saved and restored for use in the new sanctuary. To complete the design, a tenth window, “Come Unto Me,” was created to complement the nine original windows.
In recognition of the long history and in celebration of the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Shelbyville FCC, the CWF published a booklet, “The Windows of First Christian Church.” The president of the CWF, Patti Clift Norris, said, “This booklet is dedicated to current members and the memory of past members of FCC, with a prayer that those who follow find us faithful.”
“Whether touched by the soft morning light or the brighter light of the setting sun, the windows transform the sanctuary into a place where individuals find peace and quiet, love and grace, joy and laughter, or comfort during sorrowful times. In the evening, when the lights in the sanctuary are on, the beautiful windows become a beacon of light and a blessing to those passing by,” Kathy Eakin said.
The pastor, Dan Asche, who moved to Shelbyville in 2020, said, “We are 160 years old and still going strong. We still bring people to Christ. We still sing the old traditional hymns along with more contemporary songs, accompanied by a piano and organ. We teach the Bible. We offer communion every Sunday. All are welcome at the Lord’s table. Our doors are open to everyone.”
The church continues to live out the principles championed by its 23 original members. Today, it actively supports the Shelbyville Community Soup Kitchen. When it saw neighbors struggling, it helped organize the Good Samaritan Thrift Store. It has also provided its facilities and grounds to the community. For more than 30 years, the Community Daycare Program has used its educational building. Cooper Christian Academy used the facility for the past four years while it was getting established and while its campus was being built nearby. Church members organized the first Youth T-ball League in Shelbyville. That T-ball program is still going strong after 40 years, and local groups use the ball field behind the church year-round.
“We strive to be a loving and hospitable congregation offering our church facilities to help our community whenever a need arises,” Kathy Eakin said.
As the evening sun shines through the stained-glass windows, the rays illuminate the wooden cross hanging above the baptistery. For more than 160 years, Shelbyville’s First Christian Church has weathered wars, floods, relocations, and rebuilding, and today its members shine just as brightly as the stained-glass windows they saved from the wrecking ball. GN
