History of the Restoration Movement


Ronald E. Ingle

1940-1987

God Provides For His People

I do not consider myself a "super Christian" nor anything special as far as spirituality is concerned. I consider myself to be a rather ordinary man who has been forced to go through some extraordinary circumstances. I have come through those circumstances by the grace of God, by trusting in his promises to be with me, by the help of my wonderful wife, Jan, and our five year old daughter, Lila, and with the prayers and help of some wonderful Christian friends.

According to some of the best medical minds in this nation, I have no right to expect to be alive today. However, I am very much alive and doing better physically than I have in the last three or four years. The thought keeps going through my mind that God has some more work for me to do before he calls me home. I don't want to leave the impression that I believe in "heavenly" calls or visions for today but simply that I must do all that I can to strengthen the church and win souls while I have the opportunity.

I suffered two serious heart attacks, two heart transplants, meningitis, right side paralysis brain abscesses, temporary loss of memory and a severe intestinal infection called pseudomembranous colitis. Through it all God has been with me and continues to be with me.

Six months after the second transplant I was admitted to the hospital with chronic rejection, a slower acting form of rejection than the acute rejection usually encountered, but one for which there was no known cure or treatment. I was in the hospital seventy days waiting for a third transplant which the doctors said was necessary if I was to survive. I was "prepped" and carried to the operating room one night but the donor heart was not usable when the surgeons went to Indianapolis to retrieve it.

I did not receive the third transplant and am doing well in spite of the medical prognosis. Many people who are reading this will get the idea that I am complaining but that is the farthest thing from my mind. I am too busy being thankful to God for saving my life to complain. It has not been a "miraculous" recovery in the sense of New Testament miracles which happened instantly but it has taken a year of steady work and following doctors' orders plus being re-admitted to the hospital year.

I still complain about the things that most people complain about, the weather, politics, football games, but I don't complain about my health nor the things I have to do in order to stay alive. Life is a precious commodity which most of us take for granted until we wake up one day and realize that we are at death's door. We take it for granted that we will wake up tomorrow morning with the strength and energy to go about our jobs and hobbies. We ought to heed James question, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4:14 New King James Version.)

I have been allowed to learn and experience some things that most people only come to appreciate near the very end of their lives. I hope that I can continue to live and help at least a few people to see that the really important things are not those things which we possess but the people we meet and learn to love.

God has not promised us long life, nor excellent health, nor great wealth, but, he has promised to be with us every day to help us through the problems we encounter in this life. Even the apostle Paul had to be reminded of this after praying earnestly for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. God explained to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 New King James Version.)

I believe it has taken more faith on my part to accept my illnesses and believe that God could see me through, than it would have taken for me to pray for their removal. This may be a hard way to learn to have more faith in God but I am thankful that God has heard my prayers and the prayers of many others on my behalf and has been with me through every crisis to the point of good health which I am now enjoying.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is the answer that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego gave the king concerning the worship of his idol. “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor worship the gold image which you have set up." (Daniel 3: 16-18 New King James Version.)

I am afraid that many of us, myself included, want God to give us an easy life with no problems but we don't want to make the commitment to follow God's will for our lives regardless of the consequences. The three young Hebrews told the idolatrous king that God had the power to save them, but whether he would see fit to do so or not, they would remain faithful to him. We ought to spend more of our time and energy relying on God's promises to be with us through our trials than in asking him to take away our problems and make our path smooth!

Second only to the faithfulness of God has been the faithfulness of my wonderful wife, Jan, who has spent much of her time in the last four years sleeping in hospital waiting rooms, on the floor of my hospital room or in a chair at the side of my bed. She has had to make decisions, which might well have determined whether I lived or died. Much of the treatment I received was given on an emergency basis, and at least once the treatment was the first time used at the particular hospital and could not be done without her authorization. Also, much of the time I was unconscious and therefore incapable of making decisions for myself. "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10 New King James Version.)

Our daughter Lila was twenty months old when I had my first heart attack, she will be six years old in November and I am thankful for every hour I have been given to enjoy seeing her grow up.

I have seen many friends and family, who were apparently much healthier than I, pass from this life in the last four years. I hope I never reach the point where I take life for granted and push the truly important things into the background for money or career or any of the other things I used to consider so important.

I trust that what I have written will be a benefit to those who read it. If I can do it, so can any other ordinary Christian with the help of God.

(Basil Overton's note: Brother Ingle told me in a letter that he preached at the East Walker Church of Christ at Sumiton, AL on July 6. Anyone wanting to know about how to become an organ donor, or anyone who has been told he needs a transplant should communicate with brother Ingle at the address under the title of his article.)

-Ronald E. Ingle, World Evangelist, August, 1986, page 17

- Web Editor's Note: Robert Ingle lost his health battle within six months of the appearance of this article. He was in the hospital, never to return home when the article went to print.

In Memory Of My Husband

My deceased husband, Ron Ingle, was born in Walker County, Alabama September 30, 1940. His parents were Otis and Gertie Ingle. Ron was graduated from Walker County High School in 1957. He attended Walker College and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He taught school for four years and then went to work for the Federal Reserve Bank in Birmingham.

Ron and I were married October 7, 1971. My maiden name was Janet Black. I lived in Cordova, Alabama.

Ron was baptized in June, 1972, at the Cordova Church of Christ by Mitchell Palmer (now deceased). Mitchell encouraged Ron to study and to teach a Bible Class. in a few months Ron was teaching the teenage class at Cordova and preached in the absence of Mitchell and Betty Palmer while they were on vacation. The next year he began preaching for the Deason Hill Church of Christ near Cordova and preached there for about 13 months on a regular basis while working in the insurance business.

Ron later was employed as a full time preacher and youth director of the East Walker Church of Christ in Sumiton, Alabama where he worked for over a year. Ron entered the insurance business full time but continued to be involved in church work. He taught the teenage class at East Walker and had a bus route. He knocked doors every Saturday.

In 1980 Ron began preaching for the Union Hill Church of Christ near Hanceville. In November of that year our only child was born. Her name is Lila. Ron preached for the Union Hill Church until August, 1982, when he suffered his first heart attack.


Ron Ingle with his daughter Lila
(Featured In The World Evangelist)

In March, 1983 he suffered a second heart attack and was disabled. His heart problem was a rare form of heart disease known as prinz-metals angina. He was evaluated for transplant at that time but was turned down due to other health problems.

In May, 1984 Ron was placed on computer for a heart transplant at the University Hospital in Birmingham. The wait was long and hard. On October 4, 1984, Ron was transplanted and in about three weeks he went into acute rejection. He was retransplanted on November 6, 1984, and had a battle with infections which left him paralyzed on the right side. This he was able to overcome and was able to come home and spend some time with his family. He was hospitalized often for rejection and other infections.

In March, 1985, Ron had chronic rejection and was placed on computer for the third transplant. He stayed in the hospital 72 days but was able to overcome this rejection. He was the first case in medical history who had recovered from this type rejection.

Ron wrote several articles and spoke to the National Council on Transplantation in Washington, D.C. in December, 1985. He did better and preached at Cordova in the absence of Bob Tackett and taught bible Class on a regular basis. He preached his last sermon at the East Walker Church of Christ on the first Sunday in July in 1986 at Homecoming. He entered the hospital on July 25, 1986 never to return home. Ron was retranslated on November 17, 1986 and did well until Thanksgiving Day when he had two surgeries for infection in the chest cavity and blood clot.

On January 9, at 2:00 A. M. Ron was taken into surgery for bleeding. The doctors gave no hope of recovery. He died at 10:15 p.m. on January 9 at University Hospital after three heart transplants, two heart attacks and three other surgeries on the chest for infection.

-Jan Ingle, 114 Highland St. E, Cordova, Al 35550

(Basil Overton noted: I published several articles by brother Ingle in The World Evangelist. My Margie and I went to see him at University Hospital in Birmingham on January 10, 1987. We learned he had died a few hours before we got there. I preached at Gardendale Church of Christ near Birmingham the next day. Jack Black is the preacher at Gardendale and one of the elders. He and his wife Shirley insisted we eat lunch with them. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and splendid fellowship with them and left to try to find out when Ron Ingle's funeral would be. Near Jasper we learned the funeral was already in progress in Jasper. It was over when we got to the funeral home. We went to the cemetery where I got to talk with Jan, Ron's widow. You may want to write her at the above address and send her a gift of money to help with her financial burdens.)

-Jan Ingle, The World Evangelist, 1987, February, page 16

Directions To The Grave of R.E. Ingle

Ronald E. Ingle is buried in Jasper, Walker County, Alabama in the Walker County Memorial Gardens.From Birmingham, Alabama head northwest on Hwy 78 toward Memphis. About 40 miles from Birmingham you will arrive in Jasper, Alabama. In Jasper you will need to take the Hwy 5 exit. Proceed up the ramp and turn right on Hwy 5 (Ninth Ave.) About 3/10ths of a mile Hwy 5 will bear to the left toward Haleyville. Continue to the left on Hwy. 5 for about a mile and the Walker Memory Garden Cemetery will be on your right. Go into the cemetery and approach the cemetery office. At the circle of honor take the first right going further into the cemetery. Take the first right that will take you toward the lake. Though you will not go that far, begin looking to the left, and between the second and third tree, stop. The grave will be in about four rows.

GPS Location
33°51'37.8"N 87°17'37.5"W
or D.d. 33.860489, -87.293748


Ronald E. Ingle
September 30, 1940
January 9, 1987

Photos Taken By Scott Harp
Courtesy of TheRestorationMovement.com

History Home

History Index Page