Members of the First Christian Church-Gallatin will be celebrating the church’s 175th anniversary (1843-2018) with special activities announced for June 22-24.
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The public is invited to join in celebrating this milestone during activities slated for Friday and Saturday night. A tent will be erected south of the sanctuary building, and “bounce houses” also will be set up there to enhance the fun, especially for youngsters.
Friday, June 22, is “Family Fun Night” starting at 7 p.m. Live music performed by the musical group “Rising Life” from Kentucky will be spotlighted. Pastor Scott Kilgore from St. Joseph will deliver the message. To cap these activities, an ice cream social will be served by the members of the local VFW and church members.
Saturday, June 23, is “Old Time Revival Night” starting at 6 p.m. Church members will serve hot dogs, chips with drinks and cookies. An encore performance by “Rising Life” is planned, and Evangelist Ray Perryman will deliver the message.
Church members will continue celebrating the anniversary on Sunday, June 24, when morning worship services are combined, followed by a meal for church members and guests. A photo of the congregation will be taken prior to the meal. After the meal, a historical presentation will be presented in the church.
First Christian-Gallatin has been led by 66 different ministers during its first 175 years. Most recently, during the past 25 years, the church was led by pastors Ray Smith, Gary Hagan and Russ Hamilton.
Pastor Corey Norman became pastor of First Christian Church-Gallatin on April 1, 2017. He and his wife, Ivonne, work today as a team to lead the congregation in church activities and spiritual development.
This congregation of Christians has worked to bring people into discipleship with Christ since 1843. Although American culture obviously has changed during the past 175 years, the First Christian Church continues its mission to preach, teach and live God’s Word in real and relevant ways.
As the church prepares to celebrate its 175th year, church membership shows 673 members with an active membership of approximately 350 persons; Sunday worship services average over 150 people on any given week.
Origins of the Disciples of Christ
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) grew out of two movements seeking Christian unity that sprang up almost simultaneously in western Pennsylvania and Kentucky – movements that were backlashes against the rigid denominationalism of the early 1800s.
Thomas and Alexander Campbell, a Presbyterian Scotch-Irish immigrant father and son in Pennsylvania, rebelled against the dogmatic sectarianism that kept members of different denominations – and even factions within the same denomination – from partaking of the Lord’s Supper together. Walter Scott, an immigrant from Scotland, was a successful evangelist of the resulting Campbell movement as it separated from the Baptists.
Barton W. Stone, a fifth-generation American in Kentucky and also a Presbyterian, objected to the use of creeds as tests of “fellowship” within the church, which were a cause of disunity, especially at the Lord’s table. He was a key participant in the Restoration Movement following the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 near Paris, KY.
“Christians,” the name adopted by Stone’s movement, represented what he felt to be a shedding of denominational labels in favor of a scriptural and inclusive term. Campbell had similar reasons for settling on “Disciples of Christ,” but he felt the term “Disciples” less presumptuous than “Christians.” The aims and practices of the two groups were similar, and the Campbell and Stone movements united in 1832 in Lexington, KY after about a quarter of a century of separate development.
The founders of the Christian Church hoped to restore Christian unity by returning to New Testament faith and practices. But the church found that even this led to division. One group which opposed practices not specifically authorized by the New Testament, such as instrumental music in the church and organized missionary activity, gradually pulled away. That group finally was listed separately in the 1906 federal religious census as the “Churches of Christ.”
Another group began a separation in 1926 over what it felt were too-liberal policies on the mission field in the practice of baptism. More than 40 years later (1967-69) some 3,000 of those congregations formally withdrew at the time of the Disciples restructure. They refer to themselves as the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ.
Church buildings in Gallatin
First Christian Church of Gallatin was organized on June 17, 1843, with 41 charter members. The congregation met in the Daviess County courthouse until state militia took control of the courthouse during the Civil War in 1861.
After many years at this location, a new church building was dedicated across the street in January 1899. Church membership at that time numbered 512 with as many as 540 members actively attending services. By 1913, the men of the church had dug a basement beneath the existing building, while the women raised money to add a fellowship hall and kitchen in this new space.After the war, Gallatin First Christian Church started worshiping in a consistent location with 23 members. FCC completed their first building in 1867 at a cost of $4,000. It was located at the corner of East Grand and Maple Streets (the Troy Elbert residence today).
A new Christian education/office building was built west of the church and dedicated in 1963 while the Rev. Harold Bruce was our pastor. This building housed the pastor’s study and Sunday School/Bible School classrooms.
In 1993, following an assessment by the Board of Church Extension, a committee was formed to begin the process of acquiring a suitable plot of ground for relocating the church to a new building. Approximately 9.5 acres was purchased on South Highway 13 in January 1994. Topography of the land included a high bluff and it was covered with brush. The first phase of dirt work was donated by the labor and equipment use of many in our church family.
Under direction of building committee chairman Lucille Bruce, the Fellowship Hall was completed in 1995 by Trickel Construction at the new location, 1501 South Main Street. This building became the transitional worship space in 2004. In 2005, the parcel of land with the old church and education buildings was sold for $13,500.
Copeland Construction began building the main auditorium and daycare in September, 2007, and completed construction in April, 2008, at a total cost of approximately $940,000. The building committee chairman was Brice Terry. Less than half the amount was borrowed, and the balance was funded by contributions. A significant portion of the needed contributions came from the estate of Arland “Slick” and Mary Haynes.
Stained glass windows had been removed from the old church building and stored. A Stained Glass Fund was established for contributions to resize the stained glass for placement in the new building. Commemorative stained glass crosses made from remnants were sold to the membership. Wayne Clevenger made the oak keyboard surround from the old choir loft and the large oak cross that hangs in the chancel area.
On the first Sunday of 2011, the church had a mortgage burning ceremony to celebrate the start of the year debt-free. Pastor Russ Hamilton, who served church members from 2004-2016, was instrumental in the realization of our dream of a new church home. He facilitated and led us in both planning and execution.
The modern church facmility has fully accessible seating for 300 people. It provides a valuable addition to the community as a location for outreach meetings and events of all types. The congregation regularly uses its facilities for such annual events as the CWF Chicken Dinner and Bazaar held in November in addition to weekly Bible study sessions, prayer and youth meetings, and small group sessions not only during Sunday morning worship but throughout the week.
Lighthouse Learning Center
The childcare ministry at First Christian Church in Gallatin opened its doors on Aug. 24, 2008, with 12 children and five employees. This ministry is directed by Becky Butler. In the past 10 years, the daycare has grown to a current enrollment of 92 children, nurtured by 18 employees.
During its first decade of operation, the daycare has been expanded to include a commercial grade play structure and metal shelter/storage buildings. Three crosses were added to the hill northeast of the building as a Boy Scout project completed by Hunter McCampbell.
New children’s ministries during regular worship services were initiated in 2017 beyond the usual nursery and care-giving. This year, the Children’s Church (for ages 6-12) started their own children’s worship service, featuring worship songs, Bible verses and lessons, games and more.