Ruby Kile

Bishop Ruby E. Kile (born April 29, 1929 in Herbine, Arkansas - died February 27, 2008) was the pastor at Powderly Faith Deliverance Center (later renamed Faith Temple) from 1972 to 2008 and Bishop over three Full Gospel congregations in Alabama.

Kile was born in Herbine, Arkansas just before the Great Depression. She married at 16 and became an evangelist in her early 30s, and was ordained into the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministries by Lester Summerall in 1969. She preached at the Faith Temple Church in South Bend, Indiana and the Tulsa Street Holiness Church in Shreveport, Louisiana before coming to Birmingham in 1972.

When she came to Powderly Faith Deliverance Center to preach a revival there were only eight members, all white. While there she was asked by founder Frank Johnson to stay as an assistant pastor. She accepted and worked to attract an integrated congregation through emphasis on the Holy Spirit's healing power. When she preached her last sermon on February 3, 2008 the church was mostly African-American and numbered over 700 members.

Kile took over the radio ministry of Faith Deliverance Center founder Frank Johnson in 1973. She led frequent revival services and pioneered the church's television ministry. She oversaw the construction of a new sanctuary for the growing church from 1978 to 1984. She drew from her experiences overcoming leukemia in the 1960s and undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer in the early 1990s to illustrate the healing power of God's spirit.

Kile died in 2008, survived by two daughters, seven great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. She is interred at Elmwood Cemetery.

References

• Garrison, Greg (February 29, 2008) "Pioneering Birmingham, Alabama pastor Ruby Kile dies at 78." Birmingham News
• "Dr. Ruby E. Kile" obituary (February 29, 2008) Birmingham News