In 1918, he helped, for the first of what would be many times, start a congregation of African-American members of the Church of Christ. When he tried to secure a meeting place to preach in Oak Grove, Tennessee, near Henderson, he was unable to get cooperation from Baptist and Methodist congregations in the area.  N.B. Hardeman, the president and namesake of Freed-Hardeman College (now Freed-Hardemen University), helped him find space at a nearby school so that the group could assemble. The meeting resulted in 84 baptisms, and Hardeman would go on to be a supporter of Keeble’s work for decades, using his influence to encourage people to attend Keeble’s meetings and worship services.