Elder Ruby Kavanaugh, 89, is among the congregation and co-chair of the anniversary committee. “I moved to Dayton 50 years ago, and, since I’d been a member of a Christian Church, I looked for one here. The church was on Mercer Street when I joined in 1959,” she recalls.
When the church started, it was housed on Washington Street, later moving into the Odd Fellows Hall at Fifth and Mound streets. While holding services there, the congregation purchased land at Norwood and Sprague streets, where they built Norwood Christian Church, their first church building.
In 1946, the growing congregation bought a building at Mercer and Summit (now Paul Laurence Dunbar) streets and became the Summit Christian Church.
Kavanaugh recalls the day in March of 1980 when that church burned to the ground. “It was a Saturday morning, and members were calling each other about a big fire on TV,” she said. “Some members went to the site, but I just couldn’t. I watched it on TV. It was devastating, a complete destruction of the building.”
But the congregation didn’t miss a beat. MacFarlane School opened its doors to them for its Sunday service, “and I went to the service, put on my choir robe, and sang,” said Kavanaugh. “There was great sadness that day, but also happiness that the community came to our rescue, that people cared.”
Greater Allen AME Church let the congregation use its former building until they could purchase another site. “Our choir sang at the Carillon Sunrise Service that Easter, and, for the first time, an offering was taken and given to us,” says Kavanaugh.
That offering, added to other donations plus offerings, led to the purchase of the current site at 4021 Denlinger Road the following year, and the mortgage was burned on the church’s 85th anniversary in 1997.
The Rev. Shelby Walker, the church’s current pastor, says, “That this church — having gone through ups and downs, sprang back from tragedy — stayed together and came back is quite admirable. And, Ruby still sings in the choir and serves as an elder, carrying out her duties. She’s right behind me when I come in, and it’s become my routine to turn around and speak to her.”
Walker’s wife and co-pastor, the Rev. Crystal Walker, had belonged to a Baptist church, but said when she was called to the ministry “I knew the Baptist Church didn’t believe in women in ministry.”
She met with the Ohio regional minister, who told her to go to Summit Christian and talk to the pastor, then the Rev. Thomas Johnson. “At Summit, when I was looking at its Living Tree of members who’d passed on, I saw my grandparents’, who were members at the Mercer Street location. The Rev. Johnson had eulogized them both.”
Walker joined the church 13 years ago, and, the Sunday after she’d joined, “Rev. Johnson called me to the pulpit, and I’ve been there ever since.”
Crystal met Shelby in Indianapolis; they dated, and after he was called to be Summit’s pastor, they were married by the Rev. Johnson.
Her husband is comfortable with her as co-pastor, noting “Rev. Johnson felt differently about women in the ministry, and so do I. If God puts his stamp of approval on a person, that’s it.”
The anniversary celebration begins Friday, Oct. 13, with the closing service at 11 a.m. on the 15th. The Walkers and congregation encourage past members as well as strangers to attend. “Everyone’s welcome. We have an open table,” said the Rev. Shelby Walker.
For other events, including a banquet happening from Oct. 13-15, call the church at 937-854-1920.
Contact this contributing writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com.
About the Author