INDIANAPOLIS — Holy history sits at the corner of Fall Creek Parkway and Paris Avenue. The northwest side church has roots dating back nearly 120 years.
“It has stood the test of time,” said Bishop Charles Finnell, the Pastor at Christ Temple Apostolic Church Faith Assembly Church.
“It survived through all of the racial disruption in the early 20s and before, when the Ku Klux Klan was at its height here in the city and in the state.”
The church was founded in 1907 by Bishop Garfield Thomas Haywood.
Pastor Finnell told WRTV it was the first sanctuary east of the Mississippi river and one of the oldest in Indianapolis.
“You have this black man, this man of color, who was able to preach a message of love and bring these different diverse backgrounds together of people and be effective here in the city,” said Bishop Finnell.
During the 1940’s the church’s executive board was diverse, of its 11 members, five were white and six were Black.
Rose Ryle remembers sitting in the church’s pews at that time as a little girl.
“My neighbor was white, and they lived across the street from me, and they're the ones that introduced the church,” said Ryle. “My mom was a member, and she brought me here when I was six years old in 1943.”
For the 87-year-old, Christ Temple Apostolic Church was much more than just a place of worship. It’s been a place of long-time friendship and personal elevation.
“It has made me grow,” she told WRTV. “The church has still really grown and still teach the same word that it is always about, the word of God.”
Bishop Finnell has made it his mission to help preserve this word, along with memories.
The history sits in a museum on the lower level of the sanctuary.
“This room was added in 2013, and we brought all our pictures and what not that we had and they were assembled here,” Bishop Finnell told WRTV.
The room represents history, and a legacy Bishop Finnell has worked to carry on for more than 20 years leading the church.
He recently traveled abroad to continue the mission of the school Bishop Haywood started in Africa.
“To be able to stand on the shoulders of not only the leaders that have been here, but all the great people who have come through this church, I am humbled.”
He’s also working to share those memories with the community right here at home nearly 129 years later.
“We study the history of those afar, but we have such rich history right at our doorsteps that we're not aware of.”
The church's museum is free and open to the public.
You can call Christ temple apostolic church at 317-923-7279 Monday- Friday to set up a tour.
