6th Avenue- Words of Truth

I will be speaking on Wednesday night in the summer series at 6th Avenue church of Christ in Jasper, AL. Love to have you if you are in the area. I saw this article today in the Daily Mountain Eagle and thought some of you might like to read it. It was accompanied by a good picture of Levi Sides and Patrick Morrison.


‘Words of Truth’
Church of Christ radio broadcast celebrating 62 years
Jennifer Williams
Eagle Reporter
Monday, Aug 04, 2008

Levi Sides, right, and Patrick Morrison, ministers at Sixth Avenue Church of Christ, read scripture after a broadcast of “Words of Truth.” The daily gospel broadcast first went on the air in November 1946. - Photo by: Jennifer Williams
Each day at 8 a.m. announcements, prayers and practical Bible lessons flow from a small office in the Sixth Avenue Church of Christ and into the homes of local radio listeners.

The program is called "Words of Truth," and it is the oldest continuous daily gospel broadcast among the Churches of Christ.

When "Words of Truth" first went on the air in November 1946, the United States had recently emerged victorious in World War II.

Jasper had just gotten its first radio station, WWWB 1360.

The station was named for Walter Will Bankhead, nephew of Speaker of the House William Bankhead and a longtime Jasper resident.

Bankhead was walking near the Sixth Avenue Church of Christ one day when he encountered Gus Nichols, the church's minister.

"He said, 'Brother Nichols, I'm going to start a radio station.' Brother Nichols said, 'I want to be on it the very first day,'" said Levi Sides, one of the church's current ministers.

When given his choice of times, Nichols chose to speak on WWWB from 8 to 8:30 a.m.

Although "Words of Truth" has been carried on four different stations over the years, its time has never changed.

Today "Words of Truth" is still known by many locals as the Gus Nichols broadcast.

Sides said when he sits down to prepare his remarks for the program, he often thinks of the man who served the Sixth Avenue Church of Christ for 48 years.

"He was the greatest man that I knew. Not educated as far as formal education, but he memorized the book (the Bible). I often say, 'What would Brother Nichols do? What would Brother Nichols say?'" Sides said.

Since Nichols' death in 1975, several ministers have spoken on "Words of Truth," including Bob Duncan, Glenn Posey, Joe Spivy, Glenn Colley, Flavil Nichols, David Wade, Chuck Webster, Brandon Jackson and Ted Burleson.

The program is currently manned by Sides, Patrick Morrison and Ricky Berger.

"Words of Truth" is a 30-minute live broadcast that features death notices, church announcements, prayer requests and a daily sermon.

All lessons are Bible-based, and controversial topics are handled with care.

"We take local issues. We do speak our political views occasionally, like on bingo. We'll talk about gambling, but we won't mention anybody's name. We try to be very careful in always treating everybody with respect whether they are members of the Church of Christ or not," Sides said.

Recently, Sides spoke on the topic "Looking for Love." He used as his Scriptures 1 John 4:8, which says God is love, and 1 Corinthians 13, which is often referred to as the love chapter.

"Words of Truth" was on the air during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City.

A plane struck the first World Trade Center tower at approximately 7:46 a.m. CST.

When a second plane struck the Twin Towers at 8:03 a.m., Chuck Webster, the "Words of Truth" speaker that morning, changed his sermon into a 30-minute prayer for the victims and their families, the nation and President George W. Bush.

After 62 years on local radio, "Words of Truth" can now be heard around the world at walkercountyradio.com and www.sixthavenuechurch.org.

It can also be heard each morning on AM 1240 WJLX.

Although the technology has changed, the men behind "Words of Truth" today have the same purpose as Nichols when he preached his first radio sermon -- serving the spiritual needs of Walker County residents.

"Our goal is to present a lesson that's heartwarming, life changing and soul saving," Sides said.