In the early 1900’s, Fred Woerner came to Christ through the preaching of A.B.Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, at the New York Gospel Tabernacle. He later moved his family to Elberta, Alabama. In 1910 Fred and his wife, Emma, started a Sunday School on their front porch for their seventeen children and others in the area.

In1912 Dr. R.A. Forrest, who was at the time Superintendent of the Southeastern District, came to Elberta. He named the group the Elberta Gospel Tabernacle. This was the first C&MA church in Alabama. The group grew for the next fourteen years and finally outgrew the front porch. They rented a one-room schoolhouse and met there for the next forty years.

Many of the Woerner children and their offspring remained in this small farming
community and the Elberta Alliance Church became a family church. From this church came many missionaries, pastors, pastor’s wives and many others who are today in full-time Christian service.

The first C&MA church in the state of Tennessee came about in 1912 when a group of devout Christian ladies began meeting in one of their homes. It is rumored that Dr. A.B. Simpson sent two of these early organizers to Memphis from the New York Gospel Tabernacle with the express purpose of starting a work in Memphis. In any event, they continued to meet in homes. Their first public service was conducted on Sunday afternoons at the Y. W.C.A. They also held meetings in a tent on a vacant lot in town.

Dr. Forrest came to Memphis in 1921 for the purpose of organizing an official C&MA
church. With the help of Dr. Forrest, they adopted a constitution and established the by-laws and the official charter was signed in October, 1921 and the organization was named the Gospel Tabernacle.

In 1928, Dr. Forrest met with Rev. Glenn V. Tingley in Texas and asked him to come and be the pastor of a church in Ensley, Alabama, which he did. In 1934, when the city of Birmingham was recovering from an influenza epidemic that virtually shut down all church services in the area, Rev. Tingley, who himself was recovering from a very bad case of the flu, felt the need to reach out to the city so he went to Birmingham Broadcasting Company and asked for time to preach. He was given a thirty minute time spot on Sunday afternoon with the promise that as long as he paid each week he could stay on the air. This was the beginning of” Radio Revival” that stayed on the air until the early 1980’s. He also began another ‘Radio Revival’ in Chattanooga that stayed on the air for fifty-six years through the preaching of Rev. T. Perry Brannon.

As a result of the broadcast, in one year’s time, a large Tabernacle had been built, a staff of outstanding ability assembled, and debts paid. The first anniversary celebration was held at the Municipal Auditorium which was packed with 6,000 friends. At that time Mr. Tingley reported the organization of The Birmingham Gospel Tabernacle with 234 members.

In 1934 Rev. Tingley spoke at Legion Field to over 10,000 people. It was reported that this was the largest religious meeting ever in the city. As a result of tent meetings held in various places around the outskirts of Birmingham and other cities, Mr. Tingley started thirteen ‘Gospel Tabernacles’.

For the next ninety-two years God worked throughout the Southern District through the prayers, sweat and tears of many wonderfully dedicated Christian men and women as Christian and Missionary Alliance churches sprang up from the mountains of Tennessee to the white sand beaches of Florida; from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the steel mills and coal mining of north Alabama to the wire grass areas of south Alabama, and into the bayou country of Louisiana.

1910- Elberta Alliance Church now Genesis-a church of new beginnings
1912- Bartlett Life Center
1920- Amory First Alliance
1928- Birmingham Gospel Tabernacle now Vestavia Alliance Church whose high
attendance was 1234 in
1932- Eastlake Alliance Church now Brewster Road Alliance Church
1933- Prattville Alliance Church
1934- Bessemer First Alliance now at McCalla
1936- Gadsden Alliance Church now Parkway Community Church
1936- Chattanooga First Alliance
1937- West End Alliance Church, later Westside Alliance, merged with Vestavia in
1937- Ensley Alliance, Pensacola
1938- Hamilton Alliance
1939- Sandusky Gospel Tabernacle now Forestdale Community Church
1940- Oneonta Alliance now Grace Fellowship
1943 Talladega Alliance now The Community Church of The C&MA
1945- Oak Ridge Alliance Church begun at the time when America was building
the core for the Atomic bomb in Oak Ridge that was dropped on Hiroshima that ended WWII
1945- Pensacola First Alliance now the Vietnamese Alliance Church
1948- Lillian Alliance Church now Cornerstone Bible Church
1953- Clay Alliance Church now Clay Christian Fellowship
1956- Mt. Olive Alliance Church
1957- West End Tabernacle affiliated with C&MA 1977
1964- Huntsville First Alliance
1970- Heritage Bible Church affiliated with the C&MA 1982
1978- Franklin Community Church
1979- Johnson City Alliance Church
1984- Elizabethton Alliance Church I
1987- Clarksville Alliance Church now Fairhaven Church
1989- Christ Alliance Church, Marianna, Florida
1989- Jasper Alliance Church
1993- North River Alliance Church, Chattanooga
1993- Fellowship Alliance Church, Fountain, Florida
2000- Historic St. Andrew, Panama City, Florida

As a result of coming to Christ through the preaching of Glenn Tingley, a drunkard,
Jimmie Hale, was called to help those who were as he was before he became ‘a new
creature in Christ Jesus’ and started the Jimmie Hale Mission that is still to this day
meeting the needs of the addicted and homeless of Birmingham. Mr. Hale’s widow,
Jessie Hale Downs, carried on his work after his death and is still active at the mission and at Jessie’s Place, a place for homeless women.

In the late 1920’s Rev. Vernon Hozey was responsible for the beginning of the Waterfront Mission in Pensacola, Florida. It is still serving the homeless there.

In 1977, Ralph Woerner left full-time ministry to answer the call of God to begin Gospel Publishing to send out ‘The Messenger’ to as many in the Birmingham area as possible. He carried on the work there until his retirement at which time his son-in-law, Rev. Ronald Mitchell, became president and is still carrying on the work that God called Ralph to do. Although he was no longer in a church as minister, Ralph has still been interim pastor at several of the district churches, handled many special speaking engagements and is this year celebrating fifty years of service in the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Max Prouty, a member at Westside Alliance Church in Birmingham, began the Worldwide Tract Ministry which he carried on until his death. The Tract Ministry is still being used of God today.

Many pastors, pastor’s wives, missionaries and others who are in full-time Christian
service have emerged as a result of the hand of God on the Southern District. Numerous lay worker such as Sunday School teachers, Alliance Women, Alliance men, AWANA leaders, Youth workers, church janitors, governing boards, kitchen help, secretaries, etc. are serving every day with the same love for God as all of the others who have sacrificed everything for the call of God on their life.

In 1984 as a result of the burdens given by God to Bill Nabors and Bob Bozeman, Poplar Point Camp was started. Many young hearts have been changed by the ministry of the camp. The camp is still serving the Alliance youth as well as other youth from other churches in the area.

The Alliance Women of the Southern District have accomplished much for the cause of Christ.

The Alliance Men give of themselves in many ways.

In 1962 the Southeastern District was divided and the Southern District was formed. Six good and Godly men have served as Superintendents. The first was T. Grady Mangham, Sr. Then came T. Perry Brannon, I. William Nabors, Garfield Powell, A. Eugene Hall and the current leader, Fred G. King. Each one was God’s man of the hour with their own unique way of leading.

The Southern District hosted the C&MA General Council in Birmingham, Alabama in 1978 and again in Nashville, Tennessee in 2002.

There are eight new church plants in the Southern District: The Church AT Trussville, Safe Harbor in Pelham, Hopkinsville Bible Church in Hopkinsville Kentucky, in Baton Rouge, in New Orleans, Vietnamese Church in Pensacola, Spanish in Historic St. Andrew and Spanish in Birmingham.

We are convinced that God still has great things ahead for the Southern District. As the National theme says, we are “Living the Call Together.”  Won’t you partner with us as we follow hard after Christ and his call to bring the Gospel to all people and all nations?