wfn.org | National Dialogue Makes Local Impact

["Communication Ministries" <wshuffit@cm.disciples.org>]

Date: July 26, 2002
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: Robert Welsh, Council on Christian Unity
Phone: (317) 713-2586
E-mail: rwelsh@ccu.disciples.org
on the Web: http://www.disciples.org

     
LOUISVILLE, KY, JULY 26, 2002 --  Christians in Louisville
recently
participated in a remarkable event. Local congregations
from each of the
three major branches of the Stone-Campbell Movement
assembled together
for worship and fellowship. The next evening, local church
leaders gathered
in small groups to openly discuss some of the issues that
unite and divide
them, and to affirm their desire to take seriously Jesus'
plea for the unity of
believers. The event was scheduled in conjunction with the
fifth meeting of
the Stone-Campbell Dialogue.
            
The Okolona Church of Christ hosted the joint assembly on
Sunday night,
June 16, 2002. Acappella highlighted the assembly, and
Jimmy Sites (Church
of Christ) presented a devotional message on Christian
unity. Presentations
were also made by three of the Dialogue members, which
focused on the
initial fervor for unity that characterized the American
Restoration Movement.
The presenters were: Doug Foster, professor at Abilene
Christian University
(Church of Christ); Henry Webb, retired professor at
Milligan College
(Christian Churches/Churches of Christ); and Robert Welsh,
president of the
Council on Christian Unity (Disciples of Christ). The
assembly was followed
by a dessert buffet provided by the Okolona church. Eight
local churches of
Christ were represented.
            
Approximately 50 local elders, ministers and other church
leaders from the
three movements met with the twenty Dialogue members on
Monday night,
June 17, at Southeast Christian Church. After a brief
devotional, they split
into discussion groups of 6 or 7, led by members of the
Dialogue. At the end
of the evening, each group summarized the content and tenor
of their
discussion for the whole assembly. Several of the groups
focused on the
statement of confession and affirmation of faith produced
in a prior meeting of the Dialogue. A few of the groups
spent their time dealing with one or more issues of
division between the movements. All considered possible
measures to follow-up on this initial contact between local
churches. The tenor of discussion in each of the groups
could be described as "charitable and frank."
            
The joint assembly and discussion groups came about as a
result of contacts
made by John Mills (Christian Churches/Churches of Christ),
a member of
the national Dialogue, to several ministers in the
Louisville area to find out
whether they had an interest in a joint assembly and were
willing to make the
arrangements. David Kenley, Director of Pastoral Care for
Christian Church
Homes of Kentucky (Disciples of Christ), Tom Mobley,
President of the
Louisville Bible College (Christian Churches/Churches of
Christ), and Arnis
Pape, minister of the Westport Road Church of Christ,
agreed to coordinate
and promote the event.  These three leaders in consultation
with other
participants are engaged in evaluating the success of the
effort and
discussing plans for future contacts between local churches
and leaders.
            
by Arnis Pape, 
Westport Road Church of Christ
Louisville, KY
            
02-73
            
Council on Christian Unity
Contact: Robert Welsh
(317) 713-2586
rwelsh@ccu.disciples.org