Members:
Disciples remember ‘Declaration and Address’ with Great Communion (8/2/09)
By Verity A. Jones, DisciplesWorld publisher and editor
INDIANAPOLIS (8/2/09) — Two hundred years after Thomas Campbell defended his newly organized “Christian Association” by writing the Declaration and Address, more than 5,000 Disciples gathered to celebrate the publication of this foundational text of the Stone-Campbell churches.
Disciples closed their 2009 General Assembly today with a “Great Communion” service, modeled on another service of the same name that occurred 100 years ago in Pittsburgh to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Campbell’s statement.
But Disciples of the twenty-first century did not look to their past alone to celebrate these anniversaries. They signaled a future marked by racial diversity and youthful leadership with a high-energy opening concert that featured Emmy award-winning Gospel singer Donald Lawrence, popular folk singer Carrie Newcomer, and the world-renowned Indianapolis Children’s Choir (ICC).
Headliners Lawrence and Newcomer were given a run for their money, however, by the children. The pristine voices of 45 young people began the concert with enough beauty and mettle to handle both sacred Latin text and African-American spirituals. Directed by Josh Pedde, the ICC was joined by the All-Assembly Children’s Choir to perform, “We Are the Dreamers.”
Lawrence led the All-Assembly choir in well-known Gospel music selections, encouraging those in the worship hall to remain faithful and be filled with the Spirit of God.
Newcomer opened with a message of welcoming and farewell appropriate to the end of General Assembly, singing, “There’s a gathering of spirits / a festival of friends / and we’ll take up where we left off when we all meet again.”
Adding to the musical showcase were Disciples musicians Rick and Laura Hall, who led the Assembly band in a performance of their own composition, “You Are.” The Pacific Southwest Youth Council also shared a dramatic dance interpretation of how Jesus Christ can heal the injuries that social pressures inflict on young people today.
Opening the communion service, Disciples Moderator Newell Williams and others gathered around a communion table fashioned by artist Mark Whitley as cameras snapped photos of the historic event.
Williams called the people to confession: “We have been guilty of dividing the body of Christ in thought, word, and deed.”
Disciples General Minister and President Sharon E. Watkins then joined Jerry Taylor of the Churches of Christ, Humberto Ramirez of the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, and Diane Spleth, a Disciples pastor, at the table for the Words of Institution.
It required the help of 150 deacons to serve communion to the congregation, according to Deacon Allen Whitehurst of Indiana.
Immediately following communion, Timothy James, associate general minister and president, announced that the offering collected in congregations this morning included 5,653 pounds of food for local food programs and pantries.
Watkins introduced the service with a brief explanation of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address, saying, “It’s the one that says we are ‘essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one,” as the gathered congregation recited it with her.
One hundred years ago, in October 1909, a Centennial Convention was held in Pittsburgh, Pa., to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration and Address. On the last Sunday of the convention, 30,000 people gathered at Forbes Field to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. They called it the Great Communion.
Today’s service celebrated both the 200th anniversary of the Disciples’ foundational text and the 100th anniversary of the Great Communion in Pittsburgh.
The Disciples of Christ Historical Society, which serves all three streams of the Stone-Campbell movement, has invited congregations to celebrate the Great Communion on Sunday, October 4, 2009, with resources available at www.greatcommunion.org.
