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| First Christian Church of Goldsboro is part of
the movement known as 'Disciples of Christ' or 'Christian Church'.
Begun in the early 1800's, it is the largest Protestant communion founded on American
soil. Our founders sought to move beyond denominational disagreements,
they envisioned a united church of Jesus Christ modeled on the restoration
of the New Testament. This way of life came to be known as the
"Restoration Movement". Today nearly 3,800 congregations call
themselves members of the 'Disciples of Christ'.
Goldsboro was incorporated as a town January 18, 1846. Until 1849,
one community church served all denominations. Disciples of Christ
were present in Goldsboro and in 1875 William Brand and Dr. Frank Dixon
joined together and appealed for a Disciples mission here. |
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In the summer of 1911, C.C. Ware, the Pastor at
Greenville, NC was asked to hold a short meeting in Goldsboro. A
Disciples survey of the city was made with hope of beginning a new church.
The attempt was successful and the Free Will Baptist Church was offered for
the evening gatherings and the Disciples church in Goldsboro began.
Early in 1912 the group began meeting in homes for prayer and communion.
A hall over Epstein's Clothing Store and later, a hall over Nash Brothers
Printery were used by the congregation for worship. Services were also
held in an old house on East Ash Street and in the Fraternal Hall on John
Street.
In the fall of 1918, a lot on East Ash Street was acquired; and on May 11,
1919 the initial church building was dedicated. In 1950, fourteen
blocks east of the original site, in the 1600 block of East Ash Street, land
was purchased for a new church. The first unit, the education wing was
opened and dedicated on April 20, 1956. The dedication of the
sanctuary and prayer tower followed on Sunday, October 22, 1967.
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Key People in the history of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Barton W. Stone
(1772 - 1844)Presbyterian minister Barton W. Stone was born in Port
Tobacco, Maryland, December 24, 1772. He died in Hannibal Missouri,
November 9, 1844. Stone was educated as a school teacher and entered the
ministry through the Presbyterian Church. He served a church in Cane Ridge
Kentucky, and after hosting the historic Cane Ridge Revival of 1801, he and
several others formed the Springfield Presbytery denouncing all
human creeds and appealing to the Bible as the only rule of faith and
practice.
They soon dissolved the Springfield Presbytery, and published
the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery, one of
the documents the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) considers key in
its development. They dissolved their denominational ties to enter into
unity with "the body of Christ at large." They called themselves, simply,
"Christians."
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Thomas Campbell
(1763 - 1854)Thomas Campbell was born in County Down, Ireland, February
1, 1763. He died in Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia), January 4, 1854.
He came to America from Scotland in 1807. He was chastised by Pennsylvania
church authorities for refusing to use Presbyterian creeds as terms of
communion. In 1808 he and others founded the Christian Association of
Washington, Pennsylvania. That group adopted the motto, well-known by
Disciples, "Where the scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are
silent, we are silent."
Campbell and others were called "Reformers," for their desire to restore
the Church's first century roots. This way of life came to be known as the
"Restoration Movement."
Near Washington, Pennsylvania, Campbell and his son, Alexander, and the
Christian Association established the Brush Run Church, which, in 1815,
became part of a nearby Baptist Association.
Reformers and the Baptists differed on key issues. By 1830, the
Reformers cut their last ties with the Baptist Association and became known
as "Disciples."
Thomas Campbell's passion for Christian unity is summed up in his
proclamation that: "The church of Christ upon earth is essentially,
intentionally, and constitutionally one." This statement is the first
and key proposition of Thomas Campbell's Declaration and Address, a
work called by some the "Magna Charta" of the movement that preceded the
denomination known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
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Alexander Campbell
(1788 - 1866)Alexander Campbell was born September 12, 1788 in the County
of Antrim, Ireland. He was raised as a Presbyterian. He attended the
University of Glasgow, Scotland.
In 1809, Alexander arrived in America from Scotland, and joined his
father, Thomas, in western Pennsylvania. He carefully read and fully
endorsed the principles of Thomas' Declaration and Address.
Biographer Nathaniel Haynes says that Thomas and Alexander Campbell were
"one in their aims, spirit and work."
The younger Campbell was a prolific writer. In 1823, he founded the
periodical The Christian Baptist. After the Reformers dissolved
ties with the Baptists, Campbell founded a new publication called The
Millennial Harbinger. He was a talented debater, and in 1829 drew
attention to the Restoration Movement in a widely known debate with social
reformer Robert Owen. In 1837, he engaged the Roman Catholic John B.
Purcell, archbishop of Cincinnati, in a widely publicized eight day
debate on the traditions and beliefs of the Catholic Church.
His public speaking skills, writing, and articulation of the place of
reason (but not pure rationalism) in Christian faith propelled him
into the leadership of the "Disciples of Christ."
A dedicated scholar and educator, Alexander Campbell founded Bethany
College, Bethany, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1840 and served as the
school's first president.
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Key Dates in Church History
| 1832 The "Christians" and
the "Disciples of Christ" agreed on basic beliefs and aims and united with
a formal handshake in Lexington, Kentucky, and created a new Christian
movement on the American frontier.
1832-1968
The "Christians" and the "Disciples of Christ" functioned and grew as a
"movement," often referred to as the "Stone-Campbell movement." During
this period, Disciples often described the relationship of the Christians
and the Disciples of Christ as a "brotherhood." In 1960, the Commission on
Brotherhood Restructure started the task of designing a new form of
organization. Throughout the 20th century, American Asian, Hispanic and
African American Disciples congregations multiplied.
1968
A representative assembly meeting in Kansas City overwhelmingly
approved the Provisional Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ). Church historian D. Duane Cummins writes:
"Approval of the Provisional Design marked the passage of the
Disciples into denominational maturity. Officially named the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ), they became a church."
2005
During the 2005 General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, an almost
unanimous gathering of Disciples voted
Sharon Watkins as the
first woman into the position of General Minister and President.
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