Irene Hedgspeth
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This week, USA Weekend Magazine listed Southeast as the fifth-largest church in the United States.
Pretty amazing.
But Southeast wasn’t always a megachurch.
It began in 1962 with 53 people who left South Louisville Christian to start a new church in Louisville’s growing East End. They were an ordinary group of people God used in
extraordinary ways. Building a church with nearly 20,000 in attendance was never their goal. They simply wanted to serve God and share the Gospel.
On April 15, one of the women in that original group, Irene Hedgspeth, passed away after a 17-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
She and her husband, Garland, were part of that original group who worked hard, sacrificed and served. None of them were wealthy, held impressive degrees or had ambitious
goals beyond being faithful.
In 1966, they hired a young preacher named Bob Russell. He was just 22 years old, a Pennsylvania farm boy who wowed them with his preaching. He was not much older than
their children, but that group of charter members adopted and encouraged him.
Nine months after Bob preached his first sermon at Southeast, Garland approached Bob with an offer he’s never forgotten.
“Bob, we really appreciate your ministry with us,” Garland began. “We think you’re more likely to stay if you own your own home. If you find a house you like, I’d be willing to loan you
the down payment.”
Bob and Judy were excited and grateful. They’d been living in an apartment and had no savings. A few weeks later, they found a tri-level home off Six Mile Lane for $23,500.
“Garland never flinched at the $4,500 down payment,” Bob said. “When I asked how I should pay back the money, he said however I could afford it, so we paid $35 a month for 15
years. Garland never told another person about the loan.”
Judy Russell said Irene was a “classy lady, beautiful, humble, loving and giving.” Their home was open for church get-togethers. It wasn’t unusual for the whole church to head to
the Hedgspeths after an evening service.
The Hedgspeths’ sons, Glen and Larry, who were not yet teenagers when the church began, grew up at Southeast.
Glen said everyone worked. Whole families helped tear down buildings and landscape the grounds.
“When the doors were open, most everyone was there,” Larry said. “Everyone worked and sacrificed with a clear vision that this was going to be something for the Lord.”
Garland served as an elder and deacon, and Irene worked with the Lydia Circle, a small group of women who supported ministries of the church.
While Butch Dabney was the worship leader, elder and visible leader of the congregation, Garland was the behind-the-scenes businessman.
He made sure the finances of the church were transparent and that expenditures reflected the mission of the church. And behind Garland was Irene, a stay-at-home mom who
loved her husband and her sons. Bob Dabney, Butch’s son, called Irene “a Proverbs 31 woman who served at home and at church.”
Of course, there were disagreements among the original group over the years, but they left board meetings and church gatherings unified. They talked often of leaving egos at the
door, of going the extra mile and serving with humility.
Bob Dabney said Garland and Irene typified the Southeast goal to do everything with excellence.
Garland served with humility, especially after Butch Dabney put out an all-points bulletin for male singers in the choir.
“Now Garland wasn’t much of a singer, but he sang for a year to help out,” Bob Dabney said. “He was much more comfortable in the board room than the choir room.”
Charter member Doris Waddell said that Bob Russell set the tone for people in the church to work together.
“Bob talked often about choking out gossip, jealousy and pride,” she said. “We didn’t have the nerve to gossip.”
By 1973, the attendance at Southeast reached 1,000 for the first time, and it became clear the congregation needed to stretch to make room for more. Ten years later, the growing
congregation needed still more room, and members put off vacations, retirement, remodeling or buying new homes to finance a new campus further down Hikes Lane. That
offering totaled more than $1 million, and the church rejoiced.
The Hedgspeths watched the church grow with a lot of joy. They, like everyone else who started the church, knew they were part of something bigger than themselves.
Garland died suddenly of a heart attack in 1987, just before the congregation moved into the new building. Irene continued to serve and give. When Larry and Glen married, she
adopted their wives as daughters. When it was time for another church-wide offering to build the Youth and Activities Center, many members donated boats, motorcycles, cars and
jewelry. The items were auctioned off to help with the building fund.
Irene donated a diamond ring that Garland had given her, believing it was a good investment. That ring was purchased by Southeast members Jack and Linda Webster, who later
gave it back to the Hedgspeth family as a keepsake.
There are not many charter members of the church still living, but Southeast owes them a huge debt. Their sacrifice laid the foundation for what God has done in the last 49 years.
Doris Waddell said the early theme song of the church was, “To God be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done.” It was true then. It’s true now.