June 2, 2021
Wayne Kent of First Christian Church, Decatur, Ill., and Greg Taylor of Second Church of Christ, Danville, Ill., host talk radio shows that are reaching their communities. Kent's show has been on the air for 16 years.
July 22, 2019
By BJ Leonard In 2004, First Christian Church in Decatur, Illinois, was at a crossroads. Attendance was growing and programs were working, but something was missing. A poll of the congregation and leadership revealed a common burden to reach out and make a difference by serving in our community. The state of our city and public schools had become similar to many urban settings across America. Due to rising crime rates and falling property values, many people with financial means had left for surrounding towns. The stability of their family relationships and positive community engagement left with them. As the
January 16, 2019
Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman First Christian Church of Decatur, Ill., took a moment between regular services Sunday to mark the 185th anniversary of the congregation and 25th year of service by lead pastor Wayne Kent and his wife, Leslie. “The original home of the congregation was the log courthouse in Decatur, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law,” Morgan Arseneau, the church’s discipleship assistant, told the Herald & Review. Church members had their choice of celebratory cupcakes marked with either “185” for the church anniversary or “25” for the Kents’ silver jubilee. “The word of God never changes,
December 9, 2016
By Jennifer Johnson “A number of churches were moving to the suburbs, but we made a commitment to stay,” B.J. Leonard says. First Christian Church in Decatur, IL, has seen lots of change during its 180 years in the city. However, over the last 15 years some of the area”s bigger manufacturing and industrial companies have shut down and left, the unemployment rate soared, and people began to move. The congregation had to wrestle with its future. “We sensed God was leading us to reach outside our building and try to make a difference where we are,” says Leonard, missions
October 2, 2015
By Jennifer Johnson Recently, two older ladies in our church began taking Communion to members in the hospital. While this is far from the 24-hour, professionally trained chaplaincy program organized by First Christian Church in Decatur (see related article), for Miss Marilyn and Miss Pat it was a Bigfoot-sized step out of their comfort zones. “I was scared to death,” Pat said the Sunday after her first hospital visit. But she did it, gathering up the portable Communion set and her car keys and setting out on a faith adventure. Now she and Marilyn are old pros, sometimes scheduling their
October 1, 2015
By Jennifer Johnson When the chaplain of Decatur (IL) Memorial Hospital retired after 25 years of service, Wayne Kent, lead pastor at First Christian Church in Decatur, got an idea. “I approached the hospital leadership because this kind of hire is different from what they normally do,” he says. “I told them we could help with the process””or they could just ask us to do it.” With that, Kent began a series of conversations with the hospital administration that resulted in First Christian “just doing it”””evaluating applicants for the chaplaincy position, hiring the chaplain, and expanding the program to provide
April 19, 2013
By Paul Boatman Jon Keck is a staff pastor with First Christian Church, Decatur, Illinois, a once-dwindling traditional church affiliated with the Disciples of Christ that has turned around to become a thriving Evangelical congregation. Introduce us to First Christian Church of Decatur. This is a growing church that gathers 1,000 Christians each weekend to worship Jesus. We date back to 1833 and have been historically affiliated with the Disciples of Christ. As changes evolved in the Disciples of Christ, we became an autonomous Christian church affiliated with the Disciple Heritage Fellowship. We are growing at the rate
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