History:

Rainbow Presbyterian Church was only a Sunday School in 1938. It was located on the corner of Spurlock and Jones Streets in a building owned by E.Y. Freeman, Sr. Later the Sunday School moved into a log cabin on a lot owned by Mr. & Mrs. Kirschner. That lot is now a portion of Rescia Avenue. With substantial growth the Sunday School became a chapel when a facility was built in 1940-41 by First Presbyterian Church on Rescia Avenue across from the log cabin. The pastor of the First Presbyterian Church at the time was Rev. Ivan H. Trusler. Those persons directly responsible for this significant development were Mr. & Mrs. Howard Garrison, Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Burns, Mrs. J.L. Cunningham, Mr. & Mrs. R.J. Moncus, and Mr. & Mrs. W.E. Morrow, Sr.

When the new church was built on Rainbow Drive the building on Rescia Avenue was sold to Grace Bible Church. Miss Amanda Reuter was employed by First Presbyterian Church in 1943 as Director of Christian Education for Rainbow, Ward, and North Gadsden Chapels. A Sunday School continued to be held in the new building until the Session of First Presbyterian Church scheduled regular services for both North Gadsden and Rainbow Missions from November 26, 1944, to February 4, 1945. They were conducted by elders and/or deacons of First Church. Mr. Morrow and Eugene Pentecost worked for many years as superintendent and Bible Class teacher respectively.

Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Haley gave the first pulpit and communion furniture as well as the picture of Christ to the chapel. The elders and deacons of First Presbyterian supplied the floor furnaces and pews. Mr. Kirschner donated the church bell, which was taken from an old locomotive engine at the old Gulf State Steel Plant. The pulpit furniture used today is the furniture from the First Presbyterian Church that was given to Rainbow when First Church was renovated. Some of the furniture is over a hundred years old, most notably the communion table.

The North Alabama Presbytery was petitioned on April 11, 1951, to name a commission for the purpose of forming Rainbow Chapel into a church. The Session of First Presbyterian Church of Gadsden endorsed the request and it was signed by Rev. Trusler as Moderator of the meeting. On July 29, 1951, the Commission met to organize Rainbow Presbyterian Church. Members present were Dr. Roland Sims, Chairman, Rev. Robert McNeill, Rev. T.A. Painter, and Elder W.E. Morrow. Sitting in consultation with the commission were Rev. Trusler and Rev. William Hoyt, who was serving both North Gadsden and Rainbow as pastor at the time. Rev. Painter was elected Clerk and Rev. McNeill was appointed to preach the sermon in connection with the worship service at 7:30 P.M. Mr. Hoyt presided. Elected Ruling Elders were J.L. Hare, F.H. McDowell, R.J. Moncus, R.E. Humphries, Joe Privett, and Eugene Pentecost. John Silvey and John Holcomb were named deacons.

In the spring of 1966, in spite of dedicated and faithful leaders of Rainbow Presbyterian Church, the church was no longer able to support itself. Through action of the Presbytery meeting in Talladega, at the request of the two remaining officers, Ruling Elder Hare and Deacon Silvey, the church was dissolved and the status as a mission of the First Presbyterian Church was again designated. For a while the pulpit was filled by Columbia Seminary students. In 1965 Rev. Tom Warren was called to serve as the stated supply pastor. In 1966 Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Morrow, Jr. and their four children came from First Presbyterian to help in the work of Rainbow Chapel. From June 1, 1966 to September 1, 1968, student supply from Reformed Seminary served the church.

In the early fall of 1968, First Presbyterian Church pastor, Rev. James Baird, proposed that the congregation focus immediate attention on Rainbow and Ward Memorial Chapels in an overall building program. On October 1, 1968, twenty-two families responded with twelve families dedicated to the work at Rainbow. Subsequently, Ward Memorial was financially aided in building a new structure in the Alabama City area, First Church was rebuilt and renovated, and Rainbow Chapel was given $25,000 to purchase property on Rainbow Drive.

Rev. Bill Whitwer, First Church’s Associate Pastor, agreed to serve as pastor for at least one year, but served two years. Rev. Howard Cameron accepted Rainbow’s call in 1970. On October 1, 1971, the Presbytery once again was petitioned to commission Rainbow Chapel as a church. This was accomplished on November 7, 1971. Members of the commission were: Rev. John Sadler, Chairman, Rev. Joe Walker, Rev. Doug Wilkerson, Horace Sanders, Charles Watson, and William Dunlap. Rev. Cameron was the pastor when the mission was reconstituted again as a church. Ruling Elders elected were John E. Silvey, John Hare, John Cunningham, Ben Connally, C.B. Collier, Jr., and W.E. Morrow, Jr. The Deacons were Mike McDougald, Bill Silvey, Woodrow Dawson, George Calvert, David Clokey and Will Adams.

On April 8, 1973, the congregation voted 67-1 to sever all ties with the North Alabama Presbytery and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States. This decision was made because of the liberal policies of that church body. Rainbow joined a group of churches with like conviction until the National Presbyterian Church was formed and the first General Assembly was held at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama. After one year the name was changed to the Presbyterian Church in America in the second General Assembly held at the First Presbyterian Church in Macon, Georgia.

Rev. Roy Taylor was called July 1, 1973, and led Rainbow in five years of growth and planning until March 30, 1978. Following Rev. Taylor as pastor was Rev. Walter DeHart. He was called April 1, 1978 and served Rainbow until August 22, 1982. During the time Rev. DeHart served the church, plans that began during Rev. Taylor’s tenure were started with the building of the first portion of the facility on Rainbow Drive. Bonds were sold to cover the cost to begin Phase One of a building program. All were sold except for $18,000. Temporary loans for the remainder were obtained from the members and paid back with the exception of those who gave the loan as a gift. The bonds were paid off in fourteen years. The contract for a new facility on Rainbow Drive was let with contractor, W.D. Wilson and Sons on August 26, 1979. The building was occupied in 1980.

Rev. Peter Spinks was called on July 1, 1983 and left on April 9, 1985. On September 8, 1986, Rev. Steve Jussley was called. He stayed during a rebuilding period until June 11, 1989. Rainbow then called Rev. Calvin Frett, who served from December 1990 until September 1, 1993.

On July 1, 1995, Rev. Bill Whitwer agreed to return to Rainbow. After his return the church contracted in August, 1997, to build an additional building housing classes and a youth room, a parking lot, and a new roadway entrance to the church property. The work was contracted to Richardson Brothers Contractors at a cost for Phase Two of $458,000. In April 1998, a planning committee was named to plan for the building of a new sanctuary with administrative offices. The firm of Bailey-Corley and Associates was selected to assist in the planning and design of the new additions. A fund raising campaign was undertaken to raise $1,000,000 over a three-year period toward the building of the new facilities.

In April of 2002, Rev. Bill Whitwer informed the Session of his desire to resign as Senior Pastor and a pulpit committee was elected to search for a new Senior Pastor. On December 29, 2002, the congregation approved the calling of Rev. Lea Clower, former Assistant Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the Senior Pastor and to grant Rev. Bill Whitwer emeritus status.

On November 6, 2003, bids were taken for the construction of the new sanctuary and renovation of the existing facilities with Boatner Construction Company being the low bidder. The official ground breaking ceremony was held on January 11, 2004.

In July, 2004, after nine years of faithful service, Rev. Bill Whitwer and his wife, Carol Sue, returned to Mississippi to serve at Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church.