Who is the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Our Identity
We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.
As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.
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Our VisionTo be a faithful, growing church, that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and a passion for justice.
– Micah 6:8 Our MissionTo be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps “to the ends of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8 |
What does this mean?
- We practice unity and inclusion at the Lord’s Table for the sake of mission and for the sake of the world as the one family of God. Most congregations do this by celebrating communion every Sunday. That’s why we use a chalice as our logo.
- We practice believer baptism – that a person makes the choice to follow God’s call rather than the choice being made for them as an infant. Baptism is the basis of membership in the Church and also a mark that every person is called to serve God – the idea of the “priesthood of all believers.”
- We honor our heritage as a movement for Christian unity by cooperating and partnering with other faith communities to work for bringing about wholeness – healing and justice – in the world. This is what it means to be “ecumenical.” One example is our cooperative work with the United Church of Christ in Global Ministries for the past 25 years and our newer effort to share staff in the area of family ministries.
- We are called to study and read scripture for ourselves. Rather than having tests of faith and creedal statements, we critically and thoughtfully study scripture, taking into account the history and background – the context – in which it was written.
- We also honor the heritage of Christian unity by staying together in covenant as a witness to the world that even when we disagree we can still make room, welcoming all to the table as Christ has welcomed us. Our spiritual ancestors were fond of saying, “unity, not uniformity.”
- We move to answer God’s call for justice particularly in the areas of care for the earth, the challenges for women and children, poverty and hunger and immigration. We seek to do this work in cooperation with other people of faith. Some say we “get dirty for Jesus” as a way of conveying the hands-on mission orientation of many of our faith communities.
OUR STORY
Fannie Jones traveled with her brother to hear Alexander Campbell preach in 1842. Alexander Campbell was one of the founders of the Disciples of Christ movement. She was so inspired that seven years later, Fannie Jones founded First Christian Church, Paducah, Kentucky in her home with six other charter members.
In 1858 they moved to a new brick structure on North Fourth Street between Jefferson and Monroe. During the Civil War, federal troops used the building as a hospital. Then in 1893, Dr. W.H. Pinkerton began serving as pastor. In 1895, during his ministry, the sanctuary at 7th & Jefferson was finally completed. Dr. W.H. Pinkerton continued to serve as pastor of First Christian Church until 1907.
Dr. U.R. Bell served from 1922-1933 and he was especially dedicated to education. He helped organize Paducah Junior College and was its first president. During his ministry here the tower bell was installed at 7th & Jefferson. It was cast in 1868 from the steamboat "Anna P. Silver." Its tones were heard for the first time on Easter Sunday, 1928.
The church continued to progress under the leadership of its ministers. Leo K. Bishop led the church through the 1937 flood, in which the church welcomed the members of Murrell Boulevard Christian Church whose membership had lost its building in the flood waters.
Between 1950 and 1960 it became evident that the building at 7th & Jefferson had deteriorated to the point that a new church building was sorely needed. A site was selected and the church was successful in obtaining our present seven-acre property. At the time there was no Interstate 24, no Audubon Drive, and no houses in the immediate vicinity. They selected P. John Hoener and Associates of St. Louis to be the architect for the new building. The decision was made based on cost that the Education Building would be built first, complete with offices, fellowship hall, classrooms, choir rooms, parlor, and current preschool rooms. On August 30, 1964 a ground breaking ceremony was held at what then was 4385 Blandville Road.
Our church was the first in Paducah to offer the Mother's Day Out program and had one of the first church sponsored kindergarten and preschools. The cornerstone was another milestone in 1965 with the first service in the fellowship hall on October 31. The cornerstone of the Sanctuary followed soon after and was celebrated on October 14, 1973.
In 1858 they moved to a new brick structure on North Fourth Street between Jefferson and Monroe. During the Civil War, federal troops used the building as a hospital. Then in 1893, Dr. W.H. Pinkerton began serving as pastor. In 1895, during his ministry, the sanctuary at 7th & Jefferson was finally completed. Dr. W.H. Pinkerton continued to serve as pastor of First Christian Church until 1907.
Dr. U.R. Bell served from 1922-1933 and he was especially dedicated to education. He helped organize Paducah Junior College and was its first president. During his ministry here the tower bell was installed at 7th & Jefferson. It was cast in 1868 from the steamboat "Anna P. Silver." Its tones were heard for the first time on Easter Sunday, 1928.
The church continued to progress under the leadership of its ministers. Leo K. Bishop led the church through the 1937 flood, in which the church welcomed the members of Murrell Boulevard Christian Church whose membership had lost its building in the flood waters.
Between 1950 and 1960 it became evident that the building at 7th & Jefferson had deteriorated to the point that a new church building was sorely needed. A site was selected and the church was successful in obtaining our present seven-acre property. At the time there was no Interstate 24, no Audubon Drive, and no houses in the immediate vicinity. They selected P. John Hoener and Associates of St. Louis to be the architect for the new building. The decision was made based on cost that the Education Building would be built first, complete with offices, fellowship hall, classrooms, choir rooms, parlor, and current preschool rooms. On August 30, 1964 a ground breaking ceremony was held at what then was 4385 Blandville Road.
Our church was the first in Paducah to offer the Mother's Day Out program and had one of the first church sponsored kindergarten and preschools. The cornerstone was another milestone in 1965 with the first service in the fellowship hall on October 31. The cornerstone of the Sanctuary followed soon after and was celebrated on October 14, 1973.