First Christian Church's History...
The
First Christian Church was in downtown Waukegan, Illinois, for 110 years and moved to
our present location in 2000. The
first unit of our building program was completed in late 2000, and we held
our first worship service here in November of 2000.
Who
Are The Disciples?
The
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a body of approximately 800,000
Christian believers in just over 3700 congregations in the United States and
Canada. Our
mission comes straight out of the New Testament, to be and to share the Good
News of Jesus Christ, loving, witnessing, and serving from our doorsteps to the
ends of the earth. We believe that God is calling us to be a faithful, growing
church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a
passion for justice.
Disciple
History
In 1832, two
American frontier religious movements came together. One led by Barton Stone
called it simply, "Christians". Thomas and Alexander Campbell's
group was called "Disciples of Christ". The one important belief back
then, and now, is that people shouldn't be forced to put faith in creeds but
only in Jesus Christ.
Disciple
Beliefs
Disciples
honor no human-made creed but we do share some affirmations in a work called the
Preamble to the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ): "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 the 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. 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."
Our
Practices
We practice baptism
by immersion because it mirrors New Testament practice. Disciples call the
practice "believer's baptism" as it happens when the individual makes
the choice to become a follower of Jesus Christ. While we practice
believer's baptism, we also recognize other forms of baptism, and most of our
congregations do not require a "re-baptism" in order to join the
church. We celebrate
communion every week, inviting all believers in Christ Jesus to partake with us.
We believe that the communion table is the Lord's table, not ours to control.
From early on in our history, Lay Elders, members of the congregation chosen by
the people after prayer, were given the responsibility of presiding at the table
and offering the communion prayers. The Elders are the representatives of
the people, gathering to lift thankful hearts to God in remembrance of the
saving work of Christ.
Our
Ministries
As
a church, we are affiliated with 19 colleges and universities, 9 theological
institutions, and have over 80 campus ministries in our Division of Higher
Education. The
National Benevolent Association began in 1887 by six Disciples women in a
prayer circle who were concerned about the plight of widows and orphans. They
began a St. Louis Christian Home in 1889. The NBA now offers services to
over 22,000 individuals every year, operating several facilities and programs
nationwide. Our Division of
Overseas Ministries oversees our missionary activity around the world. From
our first missionary sent to South Africa over 100 years ago, to almost 300
missionaries in 50 countries (as of 1999), the Disciples of Christ are felt in
Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, the
Caribbean, and Southern Asia. For more
information about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), see our Links page.
THE CHALICE...
The
red chalice bearing the “X” shaped Cross of St. Andrew, which has come to be
the symbol of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), was developed in 1969. The chalice symbolizes the centrality of the Lord’s Supper.
The St. Andrew’s Cross, national cross of Scotland, focuses attention on the
Scotch Presbyterian roots of the church. Thomas
and Alexander Campbell both studied in Scotland and were Presbyterians, drawing
many of their ideas from developments taking place in that country.
St. Andrew has been identified with the laity and evangelism, prominent
emphases of the Disciples over the years.
Many persons see in the symbol a more traditional cross tilted as if being
carried or shouldered. The red color
of the chalice signifies vitality, spirit and sacrifice.
