The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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October 2, 2009

Rich Brown: Congregations gather for worldwide celebration

It’s not every day that Joplin can be the site of a worldwide event, but that will be the case on Sunday

The Great Communion Service will be held in the chapel at Ozark Christian College at 5 p.m. as part of a Christian bicentennial celebration. Unity will be at the heart of the celebration, which will bring together members of Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and Disciples of Christ around the world.

“The purpose of the event is to demonstrate our unity, celebrate our heritage and worship our Lord around the table,” said OCC president Matt Proctor in a press release.

Randy Gariss, senior minister of College Heights Christian Church, will speak with Fred Pugh, senior minister of First Christian Church (Disciples), presenting thoughts about Communion. In addition, Karl and Shannon Wendt from Mount Hope Church of Christ will direct the music.

The idea in Joplin, like around the world, is for congregations to gather, celebrate Communion and remember their common heritage, which stems from a declaration and address written by Thomas Campbell in 1809. Thomas’ address formed the constitution of the church movement with its thesis: “the church of Christ upon Earth is essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one.”

In a movement marked by many divisions among the three streams, each church group has its own entities, such as colleges, publishing houses and conventions. So it is no wonder that problems have developed, but the bottom line has been to maintain commitment to the unity of the church. Tomorrow’s service will emphasize that even more.

What’s heartening is that in recent years the three streams have found ways to work more closely together in an effort to further the cause of Christ. Congregations are sharing more pulpits as well as combining efforts at conventions, while more coordination is taking place on projects.

Campbell knew the importance of the church being unified just as in the body of Christ and that is why he wrote down the principles of unity, as well as a commitment to scriptural teachings. His declaration and address have been described as the DNA of the movement. He went through years of Bible study, discussion with other Christians and prayer before setting out on that monumental task.

In addition to marking the bicentennial, Sunday’s get-together will also bring to mind the 100-year anniversary celebration of the Great Communion, which was held in Pittsburgh. A convention, with more than 25,000 people attending, was held with an enormous Communion taking place at Forbes Field. The theme was (take a deep breath) “The Union of All Believers, on a basis of Holy Scriptures, to the End that the World May Be Evangelized.”

The Great Communion Service has been coordinated by the 2009 Task Force of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society in Nashville, Tenn. It has been a focal point of the task force for members of each community around the world to celebrate the centennial and bicentennial in a way that is most meaningful to them with emphasis on the Lord’s Supper and unity of the church at the heart of it all.

Address correspondence to Rich Brown, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.

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