Bio About Foundation's Frounder

Rev. Brooks was licensed to preach on February 3, 1980. He was ordained on June 14, 1983 at the Seventh Street Baptist Church. He served as a pastoral assistant at Seventh Street Baptist Church under his father, Dr. Anthony Brooks, Sr. Rev. Brooks was called to pastor the Calvary Baptist Church in Henderson, Kentucky. He served this church from 1983 until 1993. During his term at Calvary Baptist Church, the church was renovated into the small beautiful chapel that sits on M.L. King Jr. Avenue. During Pastor Brooks’s time in Henderson he was a social activist who tried to bring about change to the city of Henderson leading the charge to rename streets and recreational centers and parks after prominent African Americans who were tied to the civil rights struggle in Henderson, Kentucky. Prior to becoming the full time pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church, Rev. Brooks served as the Regional Director of the Indiana Small Business Development Corporation from 1987 until 1998.

 In 1998, Rev. Brooks became a full time pastor due to the demands of the ever expanding ministry at Memorial. Pastor Brooks was called to become the fourth pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church of Evansville, Indiana on November 14, 1993. During his 27 year term as pastor of the Memorial Church, the congregation has grown from a congregation of 45 to a congregation of over 3200 members. One of pastor's greatest joy is winning souls for Christ and the members of Memorial Church Family call him, " the most soul searching preacher in the world." He truly lives the life of a unapologetic evangelistic servant of God. Pastor Brooks strives to extend the church to become a integral part of the community. He believes in becoming the citadel of hope in the Evansville community. Under his leadership the church created and now extends forty ministries to the community of Evansville. 

These include a NA/AA Ministry, Licensed certified counseling ministry, family life component, youth programs, sports leagues, tutorial programs, children's church and many more ministries. Rev. Brooks understands that God focuses on the inward man and he calls the church a place where "the emphasis is on clothes and not souls." Pastor Brooks has been a trailblazer in Evansville church community. He led Memorial to be one of the first churches to license and ordain women in ministry and diaconal roles. Due to the community focus of Pastor Adrian Brooks and the vision that God had given him relative to community based ministry, the Memorial Community Development Corporation was founded by him in 1994.

 It is a separate 501c3 Not-for-profit corporation that seeks to facilitate positive change in the center city of Evansville. Pastor Brooks serves as it's president and chief executive officer and Deacon Warner Payne, Sr. served as the chairman of the board of directors for 26 years until his death in 2020. Under the leadership of Pastor Brooks the Memorial Church and the Memorial CDC serve as an effective model of progressive ministry. The Memorial CDC is the leader of development activity in the center city of Evansville. The Memorial CDC owns a Subway Restaurant, and the Memorial pointe Senior Housing Complex Phase One and Two. It built the Memorial Place 3/4 bedroom Multi-family Complex Phase One and Phase Two. It built the Memorial Townhouse Complex Phases One and Two. The Memorial CDC acquired and renovated Memorial Commons Riverside Apartment Complex and the Memorial Commons Covert Avenue Apartment Complex. 

In 2020, the Memorial Community Development Corporation started construction on two additional housing complexes called the Memorial Lofts. When this is completed in 2021, it will cover two sites that include a multi family complexes, retail space that is anchored by a Dollar Tree and a retail area containing three small businesses. The MCDC created the Memorial Housing Corporation which oversees the acquisition and renovation of single family residential houses in the center city. This program was expanded in 2011 to start construction of new single family residential houses.The MCDC has built 7 new homes and built 7 more houses in 2017. The housing corp will complete 10 additional single family residential homes in 2021.

The Memorial CDC operates a youth employment programs that employs over 100 young people every year. It also operates the Urban Garden Market Program that employs 15 young people during the summer and fall months. The MCDC operates a emergency home repair program that helps repair everything from a roof to replacing hot water tanks for citizens of Evansville Indiana. The MCDC operates a childcare learning center, and a weekend drop off childcare center. It also operates a tutorial program and a summer fitness camp. The MCDC operate the Memorial Healthcare Clinic under the direction of our medical director Art Obeseki,NP. 

The MCDC created a Microloan program to finance the development of small and minority businesses in the center city of Evansville. In 2015 the MCDC completed the acquisition and development of the Memorial Shopping Plaza and theMemorial Supermarket. The MCDC will complete the chartering process of the Memorial Credit Union by the start of 2021. Celebrating 25 years as pastor of the Memorial Baptist Church, found Brooks unselfishly creating the Adrian Myron Brooks, Sr. Foundation Inc. to insure that the young people would have the resources to attend college and that community work would continue in the community of Evansville.This was established in 2018. 

Pastor Brooks has the distinguished honor of being respected both in the religious and business community. He serves on the Board of Directors of Evansville Better Business Bureau; Evansville Regional Airport, Prosperity Inc formerly called Indiana Association of Economic and Community Development, and the Economic Development Coalition of Southwestern Indiana. He currently serves as a member of the Community Advisory Council to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System under Chairman Jerome Powell. 

He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Cinnaire Lending Board, a regional community development financial institution. He served as a member of the board of visitors of the University of Southern Indiana School of Business. He has served as president of the City of Evansville Police Merit Commission. He was also a member of the Evansville Diversity Council Board of Governors, and the board of directors and executive committee of the Southwestern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Recently, Pastor Brooks completed two three year terms on the Community Housing Advisory Council of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis and the Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

Additionally, he has served on the CRA Advisory Committee of the Citizen’s Bank. He finished terms as a board director of the Carver Community Organization, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Evansville Business Incubator, Visiting Nurses Association, St. Anthony's Hospice, and other religious and social affiliations. Rev. Brooks has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Honorary Judge of Daviess County Kentucky; Outstanding Black Citizens Award of Henderson Kentucky, Citizens Award By Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash, Paul Harris Fellow and Citizen of the Year Award by the Evansville Rotary Club, Jefferson Award, Indiana Black Expo Leadership Award, Indiana Lt. Governor Leadership Award, and he has been a Life Member of the NAACP since the age of 23. He has been a sought after preacher and lecturer in conventions, conferences, and universities around the country. 

Rev. Brooks is a devoted father and husband. He and his wife Terry have three adult children, six granddaughters, and one grandson.