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Ira Lutts North
Brief Biographical Sketch On The Life Of Ira North Ira Lutts North, son of the late O.L. and Maye Lutts North was born August 31, 1922, at
Ethridge, Tenn., growing up there and in nearby Lawrenceburg. In August, 1932,
at age 10, he was baptized into Christ in Shoal Creek by brother Clark. His father was an elder in the church
of the Lord; his grandfather, Ira North Jr., was an elder and preacher of the
gospel; and his great-grandfather, Ira North Sr. was a gospel preacher back in
the days of the historic Restoration Movement. Following in their tradition,
he began preaching in 1939, when only 17, and has had a ministry of more than 43
years in Tennessee, Illinois, and Louisiana. In October, 1953, he began a 32 year ministry with the Madison Church of Christ, which has become the largest congregation of Churches or Christ in the world. As an author, he entitled
his latest book Balance – A Tried And Tested Formula For Church Growth. He was also
Editor Emeritus for the GOSPEL ADVOCATE the oldest continuous religious journal
among Churches of Christ. A graduate of David Lipscomb College (when it was a junior
college), Abilene Christian university (B.A.), University of Illinois (M.A.),
and Louisiana State University (PhD), he has also been honored by Abilene
Christian University and Harding University with an LL.D. degree from each. He
was a professor of speech and Bible at David Lipscomb College (now University),
for 18 years; quizmaster of the Know Your Bible television program 17 years; and
the originator and teacher of the nationwide Amazing Grace Bible Class on
television, now in its eleventh year. An ardent promoter of child care and care
for the aged, the elders of the Madison Church of Christ renamed its expanding
Golden Age facility the Ira and Avon North Christian Retirement Center on his 61st
Birthday. On March 5, 1939, he was married to Avon Stephens, who ever
since has been the most important person in his life and his greatest single
helper. He is survived by his wife, four children, Ira Stephen North, Dr.
Kenneth Timothy North, Phillip Lester North, all of Nashville, Mrs. Dolley North
Stevens, of Abilene, Texas and eleven grandchildren, Stephen North Jr., Mark
David, Tammy, Toby, Tabitha Nicki and Neely North, all of
Madison, and Christopher, Jonathan and
Benjamin Stevens, of Abilene, Texas. –Gospel Advocate CXXVI Feb 16.
1984 page 124
Ira North He
has been called flamboyant, show-off, "Fiery Irey," "Mr.
Enthusiasm," liberal, " The great North star from the East" and many
other names, some complimentary and some not-so-complimentary. To me the real
Ira North can best be described as man of compassion, lover of the very young.
the very old, the poor and down-trodden, and homeless children. There
is no better way to train up a child than by example. Ira was born into a poor
but compassionate family. Although they were poor
his parents were always willing to share with those less fortunate. Even
after their financial situation was much better, they still held to this
attitude. When
Ira was about 4 years old, his paternal grandfather became unable to live alone
and care for himself. There were no nursing homes at that time. Ira's family
believed strongly in the saying that an old tree cannot survive being
transplanted into fresh soil. It would soon wither and die. They did not move
him from his home but moved in with him. He
was a beloved old preacher of 50 years. His 4-year-old grandson loved to sit on
his knee and hear him tell how wonderful it was to preach the Gospel. The
serendipity was the desire that was instilled in this little boy to preach the
Gospel, a desire which stayed with him all of his life until his death at 62. Soon
after the death of his grandfather, Ira's maternal grandmother became unable to
care for herself. The Norths again moved their little family to grandmother's
home to care for her. Every morning she would have Ira get in bed with her and
rub her back. She said he was "the best back-rubber in the world."
These were precious memories, and he never lost his love and compassion for the
very old. At
the time Ira started to school, Lawrence County owned a poor farm. It was a
place provided for the poorest of the poor supported by the county. It was
located in the same school district as Ira's family, so the children from the
county farm attended the same school. The school had no cafeteria, so all the
kids carried their lunches to school. Soon after Ira started to school. his
mother realized that Ira was not eating his lunch - he was giving it to the
County Farm kids. She didn't fuss at him; she lust fixed more food each day for
him to share. During his college days he shared his suits with a preacher
friend who did not have a suit to wear when he went to preach. One incident
happened in Baton Rouge. La., during Ira's graduate school days. I
was in the hospital with
a new baby. I had stored enough food to provide for Ira and my two little boys
until Grandma could get there, but I had not provided for the hungry stranger
who came by. Ira gave him the last quart of milk in the refrigerator, not even
thinking that his own little boys might get hungry before morning. Needless to
say, they survived, and Grandma came the next day. So
we carne to our preaching years at Madison. I truly believe that God had a
plan for a great demonstration to be established that would be an example for
the church everywhere to follow. I believe that He selected the right location,
the right leadership, the right people, and He raised up the right preacher to
lead them and help them to make it all happen. It seems to me that Ira was being
prepared for this work since he was a very young child. Always
in the back off his mind was a complete facility for the
homeless, aged and poor. One Sunday morning early in his ministry at Madison,
he called a little 8-year-old boy to the stage to stand with him. He announced
to the audience, “This is Eddie. He is going to the reform school tomorrow.
He hasn't broken any law. His only
problem is that nobody wants him. and
the only place that he can go is to a correction institution.” Ira
noticed an older man in the audience whisper something to his wife and she
nodded her head. Then the man raised his hand and said. “Look no further.
Brother North. Birdie and I will give Eddie a home until Madison can build
one.” Ira said, “God bless you. Brother Perry and Birdie. You now have you a
boy.” Later Birdie related to us that the first night when she tucked him into
bed he said, “I ain't had no mama to kiss me good night.” Eddie
was our first child in our child-care demonstration that surpassed 1,000
children several years ago. So Madison was in the child-care business - one
of Ira's dreams come true! About
the time that little Eddie appeared on the scene. Madison was practically given
a 42-acre plot of land located about one mile from the church building.
Eventually, seven cottages were built for neglected children. Later,
on the same site, a retirement village with 24 private apartments for the aged
was constructed. Just before he died Ira
shoveled the first shovel of dirt to break ground for the new villa for people
who can no longer cook and keep an apartment. This facility cares for 24 people
- Ira's dream of a lifetime had come true. The child-care cottages are called
Happy Acres. The apartment complex is called the Golden Age Village, and the
villa is called the Christian Care Villa. During
Ira's ministry Madison pioneered the cottage-type homes for children.
Each nice, four-bedroom brick home is located on a two acre lot that houses a
mama, daddy and six children. To make it as near like a normal home as
possible, the dad works for a living and the mom cares for the home and the
children.
This plan for child care was acclaimed as the "way to do it" by the
Tennessee state welfare department, making it easier to be accepted by the
powers that be in the state as well as the church. The welfare department could
furnish a child's physical needs, but they could not give a child the warm,
compassionate love and care that we could with our plan. By 1973 there were more than 60 homes in this country supported by
churches of Christ. This program has grown into an adoption agency, foster home
care and a home for abused wives with three social workers, a full-time family
life counselor, and a student intern working on an advanced degree in social
work. A collection is taken in the Bible school classes each Sunday: this is the only source of support for this
program. May God forgive us if we have misused any gifts that we have had at our
disposal. Ira frequently related the incident about the "Church What Helps
People." One afternoon he was in the office after everyone else was gone.
There was a timid knock at his outside door. He went to the door and there stood
two frightened little girls. “Mister, is this the church what helps people." they asked. "Well, I'll declare!" Ira quickly replied. "There are 750
churches in this town and you have found the right one! What can I do for
you?” "Our daddy's sick and we are hungry," they said. "Well, we'll fix that. Come with me." He took them to the food room and found the door locked. "Well, what do you know - somebody forgot and locked the door." He picked up a hammer and broke the lock and sent the little girls home
with their arms filled with sacks of food. Before leaving them he invited them
to Bible school the next Sunday. Ira's concern for the people in the slums of the inner city was reflected
in the following quote from a sermon: "What have the religious people,
what have the churches done for the poor of the inner city? What has Christendom
done? I'll tell you what we have done. For all practical purposes - nothing.
When the poor move in. we move out. We don't want to get our hands dirty. And so
in the inner city they live on. They live in unspeakable poverty in some cases.
Oh, how those little children need to know about Jesus! How they need to feel
the hand of someone clean who cares. But what have we done'? We've moved out and
we've worshiped in our big, fine buildings with wall-to-wall carpets and air
conditioners and ridden in our nice cars and lived in our nice homes and wrung
our hands and said, 'Oh, those terrible people down in the slums!' We haven't
lifted a finger to help them." Ira did do something to help them. He was instrumental in getting the
Nashville Inner City Ministry started by using his influence with the powers
that be to get permission to use one of the inner city school auditoriums each
Sunday morning to worship. There are about 400 people who worship there each
Sunday. They now own a fleet of 40 buses and bus 1200 people each Monday and
Tuesday nights to area churches for a Bible class. They have seven people who
work full time and hundreds of volunteers. This ministry is an example and is
training people from other cities to begin a ministry in their own area. There
are eight young men going to Lipscomb on a scholarship from a fund established
in honor of Marshall Keeble. The Inner City is marching and I feel that Ira's
early encouragement has helped to bring this about. Even on his deathbed Ira was thinking and concerned about the little
children. He had received so many notes and get-well wishes from little children
who assured him that they prayed for him at every meal and at bedtime. He was
concerned that they might think that God didn't answer their prayers. So he
requested that Jim Bill explain to the little children at the funeral that God
answers our prayers His way and not our way. When Ira died I lost my best friend, but It was wonderful to share 43
years, four children and 11 grandchildren with such a friend! --Gospel Advocate, Nov. 1990, VOL. CXXXII, NO 11
Location Of The Grave Of Ira L. North Ira
North is buried in the home of his birth, Etheridge, Tennessee, about five miles
north of the west-central town of Lawrenceburg. From the Hwy. 64 and Hwy. 43
intersection travel north on Hwy.43 6.0 miles. You should see the Etheridge,
Church of Christ just ahead on the left. Just before the church building you
will turn left On Main St. The first road to the right will lead into the church
parking lot. The second will lead you to the first entrance of the cemetery
where you will see
the sign, Allen Cemetery. Do not enter the first entrance, go further over to
the second entrance (third road from highway) and turn right into the cemetery. Go about 500ft. into the
cemetery, just before a cross street and look to your right (east) five rows. The
North grave is facing toward the west. GPS
Coordinates
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