After 32 years as pastor of Parkway Christian Fellowship in Birmingham, the Rev. Randy Williams is retiring this month.
Williams, 74, will preach his last sermon as pastor on Aug. 18, with the Rev. Ron Harris being installed on Aug. 25.
Parkway Christian Fellowship was started in 1979 by former members of Huffman Assembly of God, which later became Cathedral of the Cross.
It once had hundreds of members, but has dwindled to Sunday attendance of less than 100, about 50 percent Black.
“I see this church as a multi-racial, multi-generational church that reaches in this area, Huffman, the city of Birmingham, our state and the rest of the world,” Harris said. “It has been a historically missional church, to feed, love, to care for, and build future leaders that will impact the world.”
Harris, 57, has been a traveling evangelist and team chaplain for sports teams including the Arkansas Razorbacks since he graduated from Evangel University, where he played tight end on the football team.
In 1992, the same year Williams became pastor at Parkway Christian Fellowship, Harris was hired by University of Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles as men’s campus director of the Arkansas Athletes Outreach.
“We had Bible studies going on in 28 different sports programs,” Harris said. “We had unparalleled access to all athletes for community service and outreach. A lot of them would need help at some time in their lives. We were able to come alongside them during a formative time in their lives when they needed someone to talk to.”
Harris was often called by coaches into meetings where athletes were cut from teams, to offer them counseling and assistance.
“That’s tough to hear, to have someone’s dream come to a close,” he said. “I’ve seen athletes at a desperate time in their lives, that had tremendous emotional pressures on them. It’s just daunting when you’re on message boards and the topic of conversation on talk radio shows.”
Harris was in a spiritual support role when Head Coach Nolan Richardson won a basketball national title in 1994 and got to know assistant coach Mike Anderson, who took over as interim coach in 2002 and later became head coach at UAB from 2002-06, Mizzou from 2006-11, and back at Arkansas 2011-19.
On the football side, Harris once coached tight ends at Springdale High School in Arkansas and got to know rising coaches such as Gus Malzahn, head coach at Auburn from 2013-2020, and current Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz, serving as team chaplain for Arkansas State when they were on staff there in 2012.
Williams, who has been helping Harris get acclimated at Parkway Christian since his election as pastor in May, said he plans to take a sabbatical after Harris’ installation. He hopes to encourage and mentor other pastors. Harris wants him to keep an office at the church.
“Of course he’s a counselor to me, and a friend more than anything else, and he’ll preach from time to time,” Harris said. “He’ll be a champion for next steps in the community, not just our church but the community at large. He’s a community man. He’s always been that. He’s basically a missionary to this area, to Birmingham and beyond.”
Harris plans to continue what Williams did. “He has been a very vocal proponent of love for mankind,” Harris said.
“In passing this torch off we’ve made a concentrated effort to work together,” Harris said.
“We are reconcilers,” he said. “That’s part of our DNA. I do understand I’m in Birmingham, Alabama, and have an opportunity to make a difference. We see it as a team effort in reconciling people to God, not just Black and white.”
