Disciples of Christ Historical Society

Pictured here is Mikeal Trump, one of our Ketcherside Scholars for 2008.  Mikeal graduated from Lipscomb University on Saturday, May 3, with a major in history education. 

During his internship at the Historical Society Mikeal inventoried the recent donation of extensive library and archives materials from the Standard Publishing Company of Cincinnati.  Another interesting project Mikeal undertook was creating a verbatim transcript of the handwritten 1872 volume of the diaries of George Darsie, minister of the Christian Church in Frankfurt, Kentucky in the late 19th century.

Mikeal has also constructed an online virtual archive of materials in the Society’s collections on the theme of Unity in the Stone-Campbell Movement.  To date he has scanned several thousand images on the subject from books, pamphlets, academic papers, sermons, conference presentations, and photographs, and is preparing them for access on the DCHS website.

Congratulations, Mikeal, on a job well done.

SJH

5/15/08 

As I arrived at work early this morning, the sun was just spilling over the top of the buildings across the street and illuminating our cenataph and pink dogwood tree.  I ran in to grab the camera and started snapping pictures at the beautiful sight.  Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell were aglow in pink light and framed with pink dogwood.  I don’t know how they would feel about being pretty in pink but I thought they looked outstanding.

ESP 

 5/14/08
 

This Sunday I will be at South Elkhorn Christian Church (DOC) in Lexington, KY to join in the celebration of their 225th anniversary.  That places their birth prior to Cane Ridge, so we’re talking about one of our oldest congregations.  (Actually, they are even older than that, but that’s another story.  I refer you to their bicentennial history “The Journey” by Richard Pope, 1983).

The minister of the congregation when they joined Disciples in the early 1830s was the renowned Jacob Creath.  In an ‘Address’ he wrote to the association of Baptists in that part of the world (written probably in 1831), attempting to reason with them concerning the theology emerging at South Elkhorn, Creath advised “we sometimes hear it said, you are changed.”  Yes, he agreed, change had indeed occurred.

Changed!  Whether in 1831 or 2008 the wonderful changes that happen TO and BECAUSE OF Disciples is a marvel to behold.

GTC (5/8/08)

to Northside Christian Church (DOC) in Knoxville, TN and Palm Lake Christian Church (DOC) in St. Petersburg, FL as they celebrate 50th Anniversaries.  Congratulations are also in order for First Christian Church (DOC) of Paris TX as they celebrate their 140th Anniversary and Old Union Christian Church (DOC) in Lexington, KY upon their 185th Anniversary.

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If you would like DCHS to send along best wishes and an anniversary certificate, please contact McGarvey Ice, Director of Public Services, at ice@discipleshistory.org.

KMI

 5/2/08 

We have been dealing with identity issues.  Some specifically ‘Disciple,’ but others touching on all within the SC movement.

We asked congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) if they would like a simple card listing two statements about Disciples identity for insert in worship folders.  We have now had 400 congregations (and counting) request these cards.  At the same time, we have hundreds of congregations downloading our Sunday School curriculum on the history and beliefs of the SC movement.  ‘Streamers’ is now being used in over 300 congregations in our faith tradition.

Amazingly, just when some pundits were saying that no one is interested in connecting to heritage, we are finding that the hunger for ‘who we are’ is stronger than ever.

GTC

Over the weekend I traveled to Cincinnati. I went for two reasons: one, I presented a paper on the Churches of Christ in Nashville at the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference at Cincinnati Christian University; and two, I brought greetings on behalf of DCHS at the dedication of an Ohio Historical Society Marker at Carthage Christian Church.My paper traced the development of the Churches of Christ from 1866-1906, from reconstruction to the famed 1906 Census which reported separate listings for Disciples and Churches of Christ. A native of Nashville, this is an area of personal interest to me. At the same time, not very much has been written in this area, so I want to contribute to the existing scholarship. The atmosphere was congenial. I met lots of great folks.The marker commemorates the ministry of Walter Scott, who established the congregation in Carthage in 1832. Through on-going ministries of preaching, teaching, compassion and service they have been present to the community in the same location for 176 years. Their historian told me that in 176 years they haven’t missed a communion service. On display was the original minutes book from 1832, a photograph of the original building, and other items which preserve and tell the congregation’ story. The atmosphere was celebratory. I met lots of great folks.I share my weekend experiences because it underscores the ministry of the Society: we are dedicated to the ministry of preserving our history. Flowing naturally from this mission are our contributions to the on-going scholarship in the history and theology of the movement as well as our commitment to the on-going history and ministry of our congregations.

KMI

4/18/08

One of our on-going tasks at the Historical Society is filing new material in our biographical files.  Arranged alphabetically by last name, these files on ministers, preachers, evangelists, missionaries, professors and administrators are nearly 40,000 strong.  Some contain only one sheet of paper, others bulge with sermons, notes, manuscripts, and records of all kinds.  New information of all kinds arrives daily and so to the file cabinets we go.

It saddens us, though, when the new information is of the death of a colleague.  We learned this week of the passing of Lee Snyder of Kearney, Nebraska.  Born in Columbus Ohio, educated at Kentucky Christian College, Missouri State and The Ohio State Universities, Lee had taught Rhetoric and Communication at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  An accomplished author and respected teacher, as well as a devout churchman, he also conducted ongoing and high-quality original research in the primary sources of Alexander Campbell’s life and ministry.

I met Lee and his wife Vicki soon after I came to the Society.  They stayed and worked a week in our archives–in the biographical files–compiling data for an appendix to his work on Campbell’s writings.  Lee kept me busy pulling files, but he stayed busy himself assembling data on thousands of people with whom Campbell had corresponded in the pages of the Christian Baptist and Millennial Harbinger.  We talked shop: we shared our histories in the movement and our research interests.  I was impressed, professionally, by his scholarship and, personally, by his kind spirit.

This week, with deep sadness, we will include Lee’s obituary in his bio file, where folks for years to come may go to learn about him and the work which will live on after him.

Lewis Leroy “Lee” Snyder, 1949-2008

Rest in peace.

KMI

4/13/08

…they go by various names, but we all know it is far better to experience them than describe them.

The Israelites shared meals, the early Christians shared meals, and so do we.  And we also also produce cookbooks.  Pictured is the Iowa City Cook Book, published by the Ladies of the Christian Church, Iowa City, Iowa in 1898.  It is a rather rare book; it seems DCHS has the only known copy in a library.  The subtitle reads ‘A Collection of Well Tested Recipes.’   I can only imagine the many ways these recipes were ‘well-tested.’

I can imagine congregations gathering for meetings and revivals, and eating.  I can imagine the visiting preacher feasting on the gospel bird (yes there is a recipe for fried chicken, its on page 23).  I can imagine Christians packing a buggy or a Model-T with a casserole, bread and a pie, delivering it to a bereaved family, or a shut-in (there is an entire section of the book for ‘invalid cookery’).

Cookbooks at DCHS?  You bet! 

KMI

4/13/08 

A member wrote today to say that he is sending me a history of First Christian Church (DOC) of Ventura, CA.  All the individual histories, whether of congregations or individuals or ministries, go a long way in helping us understand the “big” history.

If you can’t wait to borrow the Ventura history from us, you can learn more about what is happening in southern California at www.disciplespswr.org

GTC 04/01/08

I was at First Christian Church (DOC) of Grand Island, Nebraska recently to lead the regional elders retreat.  (And, no, it’s not an island).

They asked me to come up and talk with them about my favorite subject: communion.  We had a great weekend together.

In our conversation about serving one another during the Lord’s Supper, one elder commented “We’re supposed to copy Jesus. He served us, so we serve each other.”  Well said.

To learn more about the work of the Christian Church in Nebraska, visit http://www.disciples-ne.org

GTC 03/27/08