September marks the beginning of fall and new adventures. School is in full swing, from kindergarten to college… along with all the activities that go along with school. Sunday school and church activities begin...youth programming, choir, food court, etc.
September is also a time when it is good to look back - to appreciate what we’ve accomplished during the summer...like vacations, camp experiences, fun times with friends, to-do lists at home (inside & outside) that we’ve completed. It’s always good to look back, and to appreciate and be grateful to the Lord for all we’ve been blessed with.
Sometimes it’s good to look back even farther, to remember our history. One example of this is looking back at our country’s history. In July, we celebrated our 250th birthday and we were reminded again of how our country came into existence.
One element of this was our forefathers’ search for freedom from Great Britain. Despite many personal differences, the Founders overwhelmingly agreed on championing religious liberty. The Constitution intentionally omitted religious tests for federal office and separated church administration from federal authority.
The first permanent European settlers, in what we know as the United States, practiced Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism, in Spanish settlements in Florida in 1565. Later, in early English settlements, they practiced Protestantism.
- In 1607, settlers at Jamestown, Virginia, belonged to the Church of England (the Anglican Church).
- Puritans and Pilgrims arrived in New England later - the Plymouth colony in 1620 and Massachusetts Bay in 1630. They wanted to protect their strict Protestant belief.
- Later, 17th century settlers included Quakers in Pennsylvania and Catholics in Maryland, seeking refuge from religious rules in Europe.
The Restoration Movement (a/k/a the Stone-Campbell Movement) was a Christian movement that started on the American frontier in the early 19th century. Their goal was to reform the church from within and unify all Christians into a single body. There were two groups that were particularly important - the one led by Barton Stone began at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, and identified as Christians. The second group began in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and was led by Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell. They used the name “Disciples of Christ.” In 1832, these two groups joined together with fellowship and a handshake, and became known as the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. (That’s us!!)
Among things they and we believe is: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; we should observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week; and baptism of adult believers should be by immersion in water.
The Cane Ridge Revival took place in August of 1801 and was a massive outdoor religious gathering in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Led by Barton Stone, it transformed American religious history by breaking down traditional denominational barriers and igniting wide-spread religious fervor. An estimated 10,000 to 25,000 people attended (Kentucky’s largest city had fewer than 2,000 residents.) Fifty-sixty Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist ministers preached from tree stumps and wagons scattered across the campgrounds. The meeting lasted for 6 intense days and nights, concluding only when food and provisions for the crowd ran out.
This year we celebrate the 225th recognition of the Cane Ridge Revival, the semi-sesquicentennial anniversary. You might want to check out more on the birth and evolution of our denomination and Barton Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell. It’s an interesting story - just to imagine what all our forefathers went through to be able to gain the freedoms we appreciate today.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17