Who We Are
"Where you are. " You see it all over this website. It's a phrase that captures the essence of Highland. Highland is not a building. Highland is not a street address. It is where you are. Young, old, rich, poor, white, black, male, female, married, single - no matter where you are, there's a place for you at Highland.

Highland is a community where you are stirred spiritually, where you are supported through meaningful relationships, where you are sent to serve others, and where you are shaped into the person God made you to be.
Our History
The Normal Church of Christ
Highland Street began in1928. World War I was over. The Great Depression was still to come. East Parkway was the east boundary of Memphis. Students from all over the state coming to Normal State Teachers College (the University of Memphis) disembarked at the Normal Station outside of Memphis. With the city growing eastward, members of the Union Avenue Church of Christ and others living in the Normal-Buntyn area joined together to form the Normal Church of Christ and eventually constructed a building just east of Highland on Southern. The congregation spent $8,000 on the new structure.
The Highland St. Church of Christ
In 1950, the congregation built a building at the corner of Highland and Midland, and the name was changed to Highland Street Church of Christ. Additions and renovations to the Highland Street structure were made in 1958, 1967, 1980 and 1998.

A Passion for Ministry
1981
Highland Street begins Parents' Night Out. Members provide free care for handicapped children, giving their parents an evening out.

1981
The Mother's Day Out program begins, which now has twenty children enrolled.

1982
The church begins a pre-school that includes kindergarten, which has a current enrollment of 72.

1988
Highland Street joins a cooperative effort now called HopeWorks to provide people with commodities. The HopeWorks Life Skills Lab helps the chronically unemployed and homeless to find and keep jobs. Over 70% of the Lab's graduates fully support themselves.

1990
The first Highland School Store provides school supplies to needy children in the community. This annual event has now served over 100,000 children with school supplies.

1989
Highland Street conducts the first Memphis Workcamp, which has painted 500 homes in inner city Memphis.

1992
Area congregations establish MUM, Memphis Urban Ministry. Through MUM, five inner city churches have been planted: the Downtown Church (1992); Raleigh Community Church of Christ (1998); Frayser Mission Church of Christ (1998); Iglesia de Cristo (1999). In addition, Highland has been a major player in the nationwide Urban Ministry Conference and has hosted the Conference twice.

1996
Highland Street helps to start a new congregation at Kirby Pines.

Today
A group of 1000 now shares the same passion for ministry that began with 24 people in 1928. To learn more about Highland's current ministries, click here.

The Future
We have a vision of even greater growth and minstry. To that end, Highland is relocating to a growing part of the city and building a new facility for ministry and worship. To learn more about our relocation efforts, visit the Ask & Imagine portion of the site.