Monroeville Christian Church

To begin the story of the CRA we begin with the estate of one Sidney S. Clarke. Sidney S. Clarke was a Christian gentleman who left part of his estate to the keeping of the Richmond Street Christian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, for the purpose of helping to establish new churches in "destitute places," meaning "communities where there is no church of Christ." The elders of the Richmond Street church immediately put the money to good use and within a two-year period the estate helped establish thirty congregations in Ohio, Oklahoma, Illinois, Arkansas, Virginia, Michigan, and Iowa. Two hundred weak congregations in seven states received assistance, with over six thousand people baptized into Christ.

News of this plan spread through the brotherhood and people thought that more work could be done if the estate had more money. Money began to flow to the Richmond Street church to add to the estate, only to find that the court would not allow money to be added to the estate. The problem was not insurmountable as the elders of the church simply started the Clarke Fund to act independently of the Clarke Estate. The Clarke Fund came into existence officially on November 1, 1922, with the following men serving as a Board of Trustees: James DeForest Murch, C.D. Saunders, Horace W. Vaile, John O. Chappell and Edwin R. Errett. These men then chose an Advisory Board to help them administrate the Fund; P.H. Welshimer, Mark Collis, C.J. Sharp, Byron Cassell, and J.E. Davis.

At this point the trustees decided that a publication was needed to tell of the on-going work of the fund. Volume I, Number 1, of The Facts was published in December, 1922. Later this publication changed its name to The Restoration Herald.

The work grew until it became obvious that it was too large for a local congregation to administer. It was proposed and accepted that the Clarke Fund become a separate institution from the local congregation with a self-perpetuating board of trustees, support of which would be dependent upon the contributions of Christian people. Such support would depend upon the merit of the program, fidelity to the purpose that brought it into existence, and steadfastness in the faith. This also brought a change in name from the Clarke Fund to the Christian Restoration Association and from The Facts to The Restoration Herald. This separation was effected in October, 1925. James DeForest Murch was named president, and continued as editor of The Restoration Herald.

The Clarke Fund was established with its objective carefully written in its constitution: "To receive and distribute monies for the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the organization of Churches of Christ according to the New Testament pattern, and other church, educational, missionary and benevolent enterprises." This was continued by the CRA.