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Newsletter>
September 2006 Newsletter
August 31, 2006
PASTOR CRAIG'S NOTES
*What do you stand for?* This question is being asked more
and more these days. As members of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) it is sometimes believed, by others
who are outside the church, that because we have no one
Creed that we confess, we believe in nothing. That of
course is not the case. Our Founders came to see written
creeds were not a complete or total understanding of God
and Jesus the Christ.
Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell also came to see the
divisiveness that written creeds were causing in the
universal church. They believed that *Unity of the Body*
was more important than holding on to one particular
statement of faith. You may not be aware that our own
church in Marietta is exactly what our founders would have
wanted. WE have Roman Catholics, Methodist, Presbyterians,
Brethrens, Baptist, Church of Christ and many more
different denominational backgrounds worshiping on any
given Sunday. We can gather together and respect each
other*s views while at the same time knowing that we all
call on Jesus the Christ.
I went to our denomination web site and copied this for you
to read. It may not be a Creed, but it is a statement:
THE DESIGN OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)
PREAMBLE
As members of the Christian Church, we confess that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and proclaim him
Lord and Savior of the world. In Christ's name and by his
grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all
people. We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and
in God*s covenant of love which binds us to God and to one
another. Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness
of life and are made one with the whole people of God. In
the communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in
discipleship and in obedience to Christ. At the Table of
the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and
presence of Christ. Within the universal church we receive
the gift of ministry and the light of scripture. In the
bonds of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we
may serve the One whose kingdom has no end. Blessing,
glory, and honor be to God forever. Amen.
Praying for you as I hope that you are praying for me.
~ Craig
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST - HISTORY
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), often
abbreviated as the Disciples of Christ or Christian Church,
is a denomination of Christian Protestantism that grew out
of the Restoration Movement founded by Thomas Campbell and
Alexander Campbell of West Virginia (then Virginia) and
Barton W. Stone of Kentucky. Both families were originally
Presbyterians. There are about 800,000 members in the
United States and Canada.
History
The roots of the Disciples of Christ lie in the Restoration
Movement of the early 1800s, with a focus on Christian
unity and lack of strict denominationalism. This focus came
from a study of the New Testament by the movement's
founders. Tolerance of other viewpoints that differed on
non-essentials was key, as was inclusion based on the
Lord's Table (Communion). It has been estimated that the
movement that gave rise to the modern Disciples of Christ
(and its associated offshoots) has been surpassed in size
by only one other body of North American origin, that of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The unity of this group was shaken by the formation of a
missionary society in the late 1840s, a development looked
upon with disfavor by many, especially among the smaller,
more rural, and Southern congregations, and by the adoption
shortly after this by some congregations of instrumental
music, predominantly (at first) pianos and organs. After
the American Civil War the dispute became more strident, as
many leftover regional animosities became a subtext. By the
1870s and 1880s there were essentially two groups within
the Restoration Movement, although the break was not truly
formalized until the Religious Census of 1906 in which the
congregations that disagreed with instrumental music and
the missionary society asked to be listed separately as the
Churches of Christ.
Another group, perhaps nearly as conservative as the Church
of Christ (but at variance with the Church of Christ mainly
on Biblical interpretations concerning the use of musical
instruments during worship), was disturbed by the
liberalism that it perceived to be predominant at a church
conference in Memphis, Tennessee in 1926, forming the North
American Christian Convention the next year. Slowly over
the next forty-five years, the split between these
"Independents" and the Disciples became more or less
complete; this group is now known as Independent Christian
Churches/Churches of Christ.
At the time of the 1906 division, the Disciples were by far
the larger of the two bodies; now it would seem possible
that they might be the smallest of the three current major
divisions of the Restoration Movement, the other two bodies
being so strongly congregational as to make a reliable
count of their overall memberships almost impossible. To
this point, despite serious concerns over the direction of
the denomination being expressed by some of the more
conservative members, further open division has not
occurred.
1963 saw the next wave of Disciples history. It began with
the publication of essays from pastors and scholars that
were charged with the task of reexaming the beliefs and
doctrines of the Disciples. The essays were published as a
three-volume series under the name of The Panel of Scholars
Reports.
Modern Disciples
The Disciples of Christ declare only one essential tenet of
the faith: belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In
addition, the Disciples affirm that Jesus is the son of God
and that he offers saving grace to all, as all persons are
God's children. Beyond this, there are several central
practices generally associated with the Disciples: Open
Communion: Communion is celebrated weekly during the
worship service; no individual is ever refused Communion.
Baptism by immersion: Disciples practice "Believer's
baptism" by immersion, however, other baptism traditions
are honored in converts. Re-baptism may be performed for
converts or existing members if requested, but this
practice is not normative of the denomination at large.
Most Disciples ministers will not administer re-baptism.
The unity of the church: Disciples believe that all
Christians are called to be the Body of Christ; they deny
that any denomination (including their own) is the "one
Church." Disciples seek opportunities for common witness
and service with other denominations. As early Disciples
leader Barton Stone declared, "Unity is our polar star."
Common ministry: Disciples ministers are ordained by their
respective regional church, based on criteria established
by the general church, and after an intensive in-care
process with the region. They must have sponsorship by at
least one local congregation, and normally the ordination
service is hosted by that congregation. An ordained
Disciples minister normally holds a Master of Divinity
degree from a theological seminary. Laypersons often lead
worship, and lay elders and deacons preside at Communion.
Disciples believe in a "clergy of believers", meaning
services normally conducted by an ordained minister,
provided that there are no legal issues which restrict an
act to being conducted by an ordained minister, i.e.
conducting a marriage ceremony, may be performed by a
layperson. As such, it is not unheard of for a layperson to
substitute for an ordained minister in the ministers normal
duties, i.e. giving sermons, home visits, baptisms, etc.
Even youth are permitted to take part in these roles.
Freedom of belief: Individual members are free to follow
their consciences; they are expected to extend that freedom
to others. Members are encouraged to seek guidance from
scripture, study, and prayer, but to develop their own
opinions about most issues. In addition, Disciples
churches practice congregationalist church governance and
utilize a "bottom-up" hierarchy. While other denominations
utilize a top-down hierarchy where the senior church
official or church council holds ultimate authority, the
ultimate authority of the Disciples of Christ church lies
in the individual, independent congregations. A General
Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a
biannual gathering of congregations, expresses only the
views of that particular assembly and holds little power to
bind the denomination as a whole, although decisions may be
made that affect the general manifestation of the church.
The denomination is governed by The Design of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ).
At the 2005 General Assembly, over 3000 delegates voted
nearly unanimously to elect Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, senior
pastor of Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville, OK,
to become the first female General Minister and President
of the denomination.
The Chalice
The insignia of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
is a red chalice with a white St. Andrew's Cross in the
upper left corner. The chalice recalls the central place of
Communion to the life of every Christian. The cross of
Saint Andrew is a reminder of the ministry of each person
and the importance of evangelism, and recalls the
denomination's Presbyterian ancestry. The current symbol
was designed in the 1960s by John Fulton and Robert
Friedly.
Churches Uniting in Christ
The Disciples are part of Churches Uniting in Christ, an
ecumenical movement that many hope will result in one large
mainline Protestant body in the U.S. similar to the role of
the United Church in Canada and the Uniting Church in
Australia; more conservative members tend to oppose this
due to the liberalism of some of the other churches
involved in the project. The Disciples were closely
involved in the church union discussions between the United
Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada which
would have resulted in a "Church of Christ in Canada," but
which floundered at the 11th
hour in 1974 when the Anglican bishops feared that their
prerogatives would be compromised in a larger denomination
dominated by non-episcopal liberal evangelical Protestants.
The Disciples have continued to develop a close
relationship in the USA with the United Church of Christ.
In the United Kingdom, the related Churches of Christ
largely united with the United Reformed Church in 1981.
No Experience Needed
A Church Workday has been scheduled for Saturday, September
23, 2006. There's plenty for all, including women and
youth. Some of the things to do are trimming hedges,
cutting down a tree, picking up trash on the whole block,
cutting persimmon sprouts, finish edging the parking lot,
finish resurfacing the parking lot, cut off the hole-cover
for the basket ball goal, measure & mark parking lot for
re-striping. Inside the kitchen needs a good cleaning, the
windows need cleaning, and the nursery and classrooms, and
more, need attention. If we meet at 8:00 AM we should be
able to get a lot done, if we have a weather delay or
something else interferes, we might have to finish on
Saturday, 30th. If you have hedge trimmers, shovels,
chainsaws, hatchet, rags, cleaning materials, trash bags,
etc. or just the willingness to help out, we'll start at 8
AM, and work as long or as little as you want. Sign up now
in Sanders Hall, or call Phil at 276-5158, or Craig at
276-3093, or Jerry C. at 276-5486.
.
MACKENZIE FAITH HARTMAN
I am 11 years old. My parents are Ro and David Hartman. I
go to school at St. Mary's Catholic School and I am in the
6th grade. I like to ride horses and swim. I have been
going to FCC, Marietta since I was 3. My favorite food is
ice cream. I like to play basketball. I like to collect
souvenir spoons. I love this church because there are so
many nice people here to help me learn about God. My
talents include riding horses and swimming.
TATE ANDREW RYAN WARD
My name is Tate Andrew Ryan Ward. I turned 5 on June 24th.
I am going to Pre-K at Marietta. I started going to church
here when I was 1 year old. I enjoy going to tumbling,
playing T-Ball, fishing, hunting, and I want to play
soccer. My favorite games are Hungry Hippos, Buckaroo, Hi
Ho Cherry O, Whac a Mole, Clue Jr, and Mickey Mouse
Yahtzee. My favorite book is every single book I have and
the library has. I like to collect snow globes, snake
skins, bugs, dinosaurs, and stuffed puppy dogs. My favorite
place to go is the Grand Canyon. I like going to church
here because Alex, Conner, and Shane are my friends. I like
Craig and Miss Alice and everybody at my church. I like
eating cookies after church and feeding the bread to the
birds.
WHAT CHURCH MEMBERSHIP MEANS TO US..
Membership in a church family is similar to membership in a
marriage. The main ingredient is Christ in your heart,
love, and commitment. In a marriage spouses love each other
just as Jesus Christ loves us.
Before marriage, we search for a compatible spouse with the
same or similar values just as we search for a compatible
church. We get to know each other in courtship just as we
get to know a church family in visiting a church. Then we
make a commitment and become a part of a family or become a
member of a larger church family. We accept each other with
love just as Christ accepts us in the church family.
As a member of marriage and church we get to vote. In our
family it takes two yes's and just one no. As a church
member we also get to vote on church decisions, then we
unite and support the church majority.
A church member accepts responsibilities to support church
programs through stewardship of time talent and treasure,
helps in the upkeep of God's house and gives to others in
love. Partners in marriage do the same.
We celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary on September 7,
2006. Many friends and family of that day thought our
marriage would never last, but we chose to have Christ in
our marriage and love and commitment in our hearts and we
are still celebrating.
Jerry and Alice Cochran, Members of First Christian
TEXOMA WOMENS RETREAT
September 22, 23, & 24
Theme: *Let Me Tell You a Story*
Keynoter: Rev. Marcia Hagee, FCC Walters
Registration due by September 1
$35 entire weaned - $20 Saturday only
KIDS IN CHRIST
Will have their first meeting of the school year Wednesday
September 6
5:00 pm
NEW ADDRESS
Mary Harper
1900 O'Neal St., Room 414 Hall E
Gainesville Convalescent Center
Gainesville, Texas, 76240
Telephone - 940-668-6702
ANNUAL FISH FRY
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 24, 2006
6:00 P.M.
Join us for great food and fellowship.
FAMILY
MOVIE NIGHTS
The movie Friday August 25, 2006 will be the last for a
few months. We decided to postpone the movie nights until
after the high school football season.
We will resume the Friday night schedule in early 2007.
Hope to see you there.
SEPTEMBER
BIRTHDAYS
5*Ed LaPorte
14*Jodie Hall
15*Billy McGinnis
17*Galen Hawes
18*Mary Mechler
20*Jim Enabnit
23*Sara Brannan
27*Alice Cochran
ANNIVERSARIES
7*Jerry and Alice **Cochran
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