The
Meeting House
A Vision for First Christian Church, Falls Church
In the
summer of 1801, thousands of people from all walks of life gathered at the Cane
Ridge Meeting House in the rolling hills of Kentucky. They spent a week together,
meeting their neighbors, being moved by the Holy Spirit, worshiping God,
celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and reviving their faith. It was out of this
gathering that Barton W. Stone’s ministry arose, later to join with Alexander
and Thomas Campbell to become what we now call the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ).
More
than two hundred years later, we believe that Christ is calling First Christian
Church in Falls Church, Virginia, to again be such a “Meeting
House.” We imagine the church as a place where we gather to meet our neighbors,
to listen for the Spirit, and to revive our hungry souls. We believe Christ
calls us to be far more than a “Sunday only” presence at Seven Corners. To that end, we commit ourselves to become
agents of health and healing, to respond faithfully to the power of the Spirit
in our midst, and to celebrate diversity and live justice.
We see
the ministry of First Christian Church as intentionally inclusive. This means
that our building needs to be physically accessible by all, and that our family
of faith, our ministries, and our programs need to be inclusive and welcoming
to all.
We
understand ourselves to be people of the Table. Again, we draw on our Disciples
heritage and our tradition of celebrating the Lord’s Supper weekly. The
metaphor of “the table” as a place where we gather to share our lives,
celebrate joys, deepen our spirit, and mourn sorrows, helps us organize our
thinking about the future of First Christian Church.
