First Christian Celebrates Centennial

By Bill Furbee, Contributor

Church Leadership Reflects on Legacy, Continuing Mission

On Sunday morning, September 21, the First Christian Church of Fort Thomas will observe its 100-year anniversary with a worship celebration and fellowship meal. The church invites current and former members, staff, pastors, denominational leaders, and neighbors to join them.

“Even with a relatively small congregation, our excitement and passion is very strong,” says Holly Specht, member. “We’re blessed with numerous families that have been a part of First Christian Church for many years. Some have family ties that go back generations. The excitement is celebrated not only by those with deep family roots, but also by members that are newer in the life of our church.”

Since its creation, First Christian Church has served the community with fellowship gatherings, concerts, veteran support initiatives, special luncheon events, and theater presentations for decades.

It was in 1925 that Rev. H. D. Harding and members from the nearby Dayton Christian Church gathered at the Woodfill Elementary School to prayerfully consider planting a new church in the south end of Fort Thomas. At the time, members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) were on the ascendancy in both growth and influence, declaring a simple gospel message and striving for the unity of all Christians with a vibrant confidence, seeking to gather as ‘Christians only, but not the only Christians,’ who would have a broad appeal to fellow seekers and believers.

It didn’t take long for the ministry in Fort Thomas to flourish.

In the modern era, First Christian has been active in planning and participating in mission trips, serving those in central Ohio, Eastern Kentucky and North Carolina. It has frequently partnered with Habitat for Humanity, and has even sent one member to the Congo, in Africa, to participate in a program called ‘Woman to Woman World Wide.’ “It was truly an honor to have someone sponsor our church,” Specht says.

Members have also represented the church while completing mission work in Guatemala and Honduras; just this past spring, two First Christian members invested a week of ministry in Kenya.

Of course, local outreach is key to the mission of First Christian Church as well.

“One of the legacies of our church is the Living Portrayal of Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ on Maundy Thursday before Easter,” says fellow member Jill Wood. Begun in 1962, that tradition continued for over 50 years, including both members of First Christian as well as neighboring congregations.

First Christian also partners with the Henry Hosea House in Newport to collect school supplies, winter scarves, mittens and hats; food donations for the Brighton Center; and it supports several families during the holidays by providing Christmas presents.

First Christian even shares its building with an Al-Anon support group, a community square dancing group, the Boy Scouts, and home schooling co-op Woodland School.

“Our congregation continues to partner with Fort Thomas ecumenical churches such as Christ Church (UCCS), First Presbyterian Church, Highland United Methodist Church, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church to join in service to our wider community and in planning times of worship and fellowship together,” says Ron Sinclair, pastor. “We believe our shared witness and ‘with-ness’ is a vital way to work for the common good of our neighbors.”

First Christian Church offers worship on Sunday mornings at 10:45 am every week, and there is an ongoing Bible study group that meets weekly on Tuesday mornings.

Visitors and guests, Sinclair says, are equally “welcome at the table each Sunday morning,” regardless of whether they’re “walking into our doors for the first time or the 100^th time.”
For more information, visit FortThomasDisciples.com.