Articles for tag: Great Communion

November 30, 2011

Christian Standard

We Are a Worldwide Movement

By Gary Holloway The world is coming to Goiânia, Brazil, July 25-29, 2012! The churches in Goiânia, a vibrant growing city in Brazil, are hosting a global gathering of Christians in the Christian churches/churches of Christ”“Disciples of Christ family. These global gatherings occur every four years under the leadership of the World Convention. Did you know we had a World Convention? For 80 years, God has worked through the World Convention to connect Christians, Disciples, and churches of Christ globally every day. Stories of recent connections through the World Convention include: “¢ A Kenyan minister, greatly discouraged by his experiences

January 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Worth Discussing

By Mark A. Taylor One quote stands out among several in a news release posted some time ago on our Web site*. An impassioned member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue reflected on the words of Christ whose prayer for unity is recorded in John 17: Apparently Christ thought the unity of his followers was the single most important evidence that he truly came from the Father, that he was divine. And this makes unity compelling””an absolutely compelling thing””not a backburner issue. Unity is at the heart of what the whole gospel is about. Unity is at the heart of the annual

December 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Stone-Campbell Dialogue Continues Progress Toward Unity

The Stone-Campbell Dialogue met Nov. 7, 8 in Johnson City, TN, to continue discussions about unity among three “streams” of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. Twenty-three church leaders participated in the discussions. The group was composed of ministers and other leaders from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian churches and churches of Christ, and the a cappella churches of Christ. The group began its time together with a worship service Sunday evening in the chapel of Emmanuel School of Religion, the host site for the whole meeting. Discussions Monday centered on issues that have divided these three groups in past

October 4, 2009

Christian Standard

A Document for Today

  by Joni Sullivan Baker A lot can happen in 200 years. That”s plenty of time for a family to launch, prosper, and stretch out around the world. But it”s also plenty of time for punches to be thrown, hearts to break, and feuds to start and then to fester through many generations. And although most are too polite to say it, those outside the family puzzle or scoff at cousins who share the same name and same family mottoes but still can”t figure out a way to get along. It”s especially strange when a lot of those mottoes are

October 4, 2009

Christian Standard

In Communion

  by C. Robert Wetzel “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17). In 1909 Christians from the Restoration Movement were making plans for the centennial celebration of the Declaration and Address to take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that October. At the same time, in what was then a remote part of mountainous western North Carolina, a small group of believers were making plans to establish a church. Late in 1908 there had been a 30-day evangelistic meeting that led to the baptism of 14 people. In the spring of the following year,

September 30, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Terry Erwin

By Brad Dupray One hundred years ago, 25,000 Christians from around the United States gathered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a convention celebrating the 100th anniversary of Thomas Campbell”s Declaration and Address, a formative document in Restoration Movement history. In this bicentennial year, as Christians gather around the world to celebrate a “Great Communion” today, another gathering will take place in Pittsburgh. Terry Erwin, minister with Norwin Christian Church, has worked with his associate, Ed Gratton, to plan festivities honoring the memory of Thomas Campbell, but most importantly, to serve as a remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ as those gathered

September 30, 2009

Christian Standard

Tell Us About Your Celebration!

By Mark A. Taylor As we finished this issue in the final days of August, we continued to hear news about Great Communion celebrations planned for October 4 in community after community. “We started planning for the Great Communion in 2005,” Glenn Carson, president of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, wrote. “And what we expected from the beginning is now occurring.” Many have posted details about their celebrations at www.greatcommunion.org. Yet we”ve also received notes from some who have searched in vain for a Great Communion service in their area. “I am profoundly disappointed that nothing is happening close

August 19, 2009

Christian Standard

How Will You Celebrate Great Communion?

By Mark A. Taylor It”s not too late for your church to plan a Great Communion observance October 4. Let me review what we”ve said about this event before, and then give you some new information. Review: Great Communion is an international celebration of the Lord”s Supper to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Thomas Campbell”s Declaration and Address, considered by many as the catalyst for our Restoration Movement. In it Campbell lifted up unity based on faith in Christ and obedience to the Scriptures. He decried divisions among believers in Christ and described the Lord”s Supper as “that great ordinance

July 12, 2009

Christian Standard

The Lord”s Supper: Great Communion”“October 4, 2009

  By Victor Knowles About 25,000 people gathered at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 17, 1909, for a special Communion service commemorating the Centennial Celebration of Thomas Campbell”s Declaration and Address. In that historic document Campbell called the Lord”s Supper “that great ordinance of unity and love.” On October 4, 2009, thousands of people will be gathering together for a “Great Communion.” This time, however, it will not be limited to just one city (although a special service is being planned in Pittsburgh). All over the world members of the Restoration (or Stone-Campbell) Movement will be meeting to

July 12, 2009

Christian Standard

The Point of Christianity 3: Christian Reconciliation

  By Douglas A. Foster Christ knew there would be trouble. He knew the human heart and its tendency toward pride. His intense prayer for his followers “that they may be one” was not a request for a good but optional addition to Christianity””unity was the very essence of it. The walls that separate humans were precisely what Christ came to destroy. Reconciliation is the point of Christianity! And reconciliation results in unity. Tragically, the very people Christ entrusted with his ministry of reconciliation built walls of separation. Christians destroyed the visible unity of Christ”s body. The spirit of division

July 8, 2009

Christian Standard

Remembering, Renewal, and Celebration

By Mark A. Taylor Once in awhile an article actually brings us to tears while we”re preparing it for print. Not often, mind you. But it does happen. It happened this week as one of our staff was formatting Ethan Magness”s articles about the Lord”s Supper. His insights are among several powerful pieces in this issue to help readers think afresh about Communion. He challenges us to lift our weekly observance above thoughtless routine. “The danger posed by meaningless ritual is no reason to stop the ritual,” he says. And he suggests how to keep our Communion celebrations alive. Another

January 28, 2009

Christian Standard

Random Notes, Important Items

By Mark A. Taylor This week”s items have little relationship to each other except that (1) they”re important, and (2) they don”t fit anywhere else in the magazine. So, please forgive the somewhat random nature of this, but keep reading. The first is an apology, not for two articles we published, but for the way we illustrated them. William R. Baker”s comparison of emerging churches with Restoration Movement thought (November 23 and 30) is valuable to consider. But by positioning images of Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone over the shoulders of Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, and Spencer Burke, we

January 14, 2009

Christian Standard

Great Communion in Greater Pittsburgh

By Mark A. Taylor Christians across the country are planning community observances of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration and Address October 4. They will include unity Lord”s Supper services under the banner of “Great Communion,” the nationwide promotion of the anniversary. One of the most significant celebrations may happen in Pittsburgh. “When we first started our planning, we contracted with a local high school,” said Ed Gratton, one of the ministers at Norwin Christian Church in the Pittsburgh suburb of North Huntingdon. The school auditorium seats 1,000, “but from the response to our idea, we decided we”d better look

January 7, 2009

Christian Standard

Something New”“-for All Our Readers

By Mark A. Taylor You can sort most CHRISTIAN STANDARD readers into one of three categories. Some read or at least skim every page every week. Some read some of the magazine some weeks, when they have time or when they see something that particularly interests them. They don”t feel bad about what they choose to skip. Some receive a copy every week and want to read it””but they feel guilty when they fall behind. Unread issues stack up beside them in an accusing pile. We”d like to serve those in all three groups, and we”d like everyone to feel

October 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Great Communion”“a Great Opportunity

By Douglas A. Foster Two hundred years ago next year, Thomas Campbell wrote in a foundational document of the Stone-Campbell Movement, the Declaration and Address, “that the church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one. . . .” “Division among Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils,” he added, and said that Christians “are . . . bound to love each other as brethren, even as Christ has loved them.” In that document, Campbell called the Lord”s Supper “that great ordinance of unity and love.” One hundred years ago next year, a great Centennial Convention

October 5, 2008

Christian Standard

How You Can Celebrate the Great Communion

  This article–which is a sidebar to “Great Communion–a Great Opportunity” by Douglas A. Foster””is adapted from www.greatcommunion.org.      Since the celebration of the bicentennial centers around community-based Communion services, leaders should take steps in their own cities and towns to “make it happen.” First, talk with other leaders in your own congregation. Explain to them what the bicentennial is all about. Make sure to send them to www.greatcommunion.org to see for themselves. Second, once your own church is excited about the possibilities, begin contacting other Stone-Campbell churches in your community. A sample letter is provided on the Web site.

July 30, 2008

Christian Standard

First Steps Toward Mending Broken Relationships

By Mark A. Taylor When I”m convinced I”m right and you”re wrong, I can find many justifications for refusing to give you a call. The first step toward mending a broken relationship is sometimes the most difficult. This is especially true when it comes to religion. It”s not just that I feel those folks in the church building down the street are mixed up. I”ve got chapter and verse to prove it. Unfortunately, nowhere has this been more evident than between some in each of the three “streams” of the Restoration Movement. But would it be possible to focus on

July 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Restoration Movement Q&A 4

Answers from Pat Magness Does the Restoration Movement Matter? Answers from Pat Magness. Pat Magness is professor of humanities and English at Milligan College in Tennessee and a member of the Publishing Committee at Standard Publishing. Do you feel as strongly about being a part of the Restoration Movement today as you did fifteen years ago?  What, if anything, has changed? Yes, I remain strongly committed to the Restoration Movement and even more deeply involved in a variety of ministries. In addition to the connections in my local congregation, I feel increasingly connected to the Restoration Movement through my work on

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

One Church

TAKE THE QUIZ: “What Do You Know About the Declaration and Address“ By Victor Knowles Thomas Campbell stood at the rail of the ship and breathed deeply of the invigorating ocean breeze. He was leaving his beloved Ireland and setting sail for America. Perhaps there his health would improve. Perhaps there the religious air would be healthier too””free from the strife and division that had troubled him so in the Seceder Presbyterian Church. Upon his arrival in America in 1807, the 44-year-old minister was appointed to preach in western Pennsylvania by the American counterpart of the anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church.

May 28, 2008

Christian Standard

Can We Do It His Way?

By Mark A. Taylor Frank Sinatra”s signature song, “My Way,” summarized the mind-set of the generations that followed him. Still today we could think of it as a theme for our times. Now personal choice is claimed as a right, and marketers of everything from flip-flops to family sedans try appealing to the consumer”s quest to be unique. In such an atmosphere, religious pluralism has only increased. Talk-show hosts and best-selling authors speak of spirituality. But no one in the mainstream spotlight dares suggest Jesus is the only way to God, the only reliable source of truth. Even among those

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