In 1971, several members of Community of Christ bought what remained of the original farm that the present City of Forest Hills was built on. The purchased property had the original two story farm house with an old tree-lined lane leading up to it. In 1975, the Forest Hills congregation was officially formed; members met in the original farmhouse. In 1983, members began building the church building that exists today, and the older buildings were then torn down. The congregation did lots of construction on the building, and even the children helped shingle the roof! The building was consecrated May 14, 1989.
Our congregation today includes some who helped build our building more than 30 years ago but also many who have joined us since then. Our congregation is made up of Louisville natives and those who joined us after moving from Wisconsin, Ohio, and many other places; thanks to the miracle of Zoom, our building in Forest Hills sees regular attendance from members and friends of our congregation as “close” as Lexington and as far as Florida. Everyone—including ordained lay ministers and volunteer disciples—pitches in to keep the congregation running. Our current pastors are Kathleen Yager-Rosenbarger and Linda Ayre.
Scripture Garden and Community Outreach
In 1998, a Scripture Garden was built on the Forest Hills church property. The Garden contains thousands of plants and flowers, a large pergola, an arch area, benches and walkways, and numerous bronze plaques with Scriptures on them mounted on large boulders. In addition, there are a number of historic trees from all over the world on the property. The Garden is lit at night until after midnight, is handicap accessible and is open to the public for meditation, enjoyment of nature, and events like weddings.
You can learn more about the history and details of the Scripture Garden by listening to this podcast episode. If you would like to reserve the garden for a special occasion or event, you can contact us through the form on this page. We also accept donations for the Scripture Garden; please address checks to “Community of Christ Church” and send them to 2401 Merriwood Dr, Louisville, KY 40299, with a note on the check specifying that the funds are to go to the Garden.
The Garden is just one of many ways that we try to be involved with local and other communities. The City of Forest Hills uses the church building for city meetings, voting, blood drives, and community gatherings. Members of our congregation participate in homeless outreach with Love Transformation Project, in providing resources to those in crisis with Jeffersontown Area Ministries, and in supporting families of sick children through Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana. Every Sunday, we collect donations for Outreach International, a worldwide nonprofit affiliated with Community of Christ and dedicated to empowering communities and addressing poverty-related issues.