Nearly 800 Christians gathered in Moody Coliseum on Sunday to partake in the Great Communion in honor of the bicentennial of Thomas Campbell’s “Declaration of Address” – a call to unite all denominations in Christ.
Great Communion events took place all over the world, including in Australia, Africa, New Zealand, India, South America and at least 23 states in North America.
The Abilene service lasted for an hour and included words from leaders of Hillcrest Church of Christ, Abilene Christian Church, First Christian Church, University Church of Christ, Brook Hollow Christian Church, Wylie Christian Church, and Highland Church of Christ and North 10th & Treadaway Church of Christ. ACU President Dr. Royce Money said a prayer for the cup.
Attendees participated in worship, recited the Lord’s Prayer and the Prayer of St. Frances of Assisi in unison, in addition to meditating and taking the Lord’s Supper.
Douglas Foster, director of the Center for Restoration Studies, delivered the message, “A Call from the Past for the 21st Century.” He said he is pleased with the way the grassroots effort came together.
“From my perspective, it went really well,” said Foster, professor of church history and member of the Stone-Campbell dialogue and the Disciples of Christ Historic Society. “There were so many people who said they longed for something like this for so many years.”
Lisa Adkins, resident of Abilene and member of Highland Church of Christ, brought her daughter to the event.
“I thought it would be a unique experience to worship with fellow Christians,” Adkins said. “She’s only 2 years old, but I wanted her to experience worship with the body of Christ in Abilene.”
Ashley Musick, senior social work major from Nashville, Tenn., said she attended to show her support for the movement for unity among denominations and said she enjoyed the peaceful event.
Marian and Ralph Rowe, residents of Abilene and members of Hillcrest Church of Christ, said they had been waiting for an event like this to take place.
“We are committed to communion,” Marian Rowe said. “We wish this would have happened hundreds of years ago, and we hope this grows.”
Lorin and Patsy Watson, residents of Abilene and members of Southern Hills Church of Christ, said they attended to demonstrate the importance of fellowship with all Christians.
“I believe in the unity of the church,” Lorin Watson said. “It was meaningful and inspiring to see the spirit of communion with the different groups.”
Patsy Watson said she was impacted by the event.
“It touched me to see the different groups coming together, and it reinforced the idea that groups who meet under different names are one in Christ,” she said.
Foster said attendees told him they hoped this would not be the last such event or serve as the only effort to bring people together in the name of Christ.
He said the task force that organized the event will meet next week to discuss what went right or wrong, as well as upcoming opportunities to bring Christians together in fellowship and service.
“We want to begin thinking in terms of dialogue, conversation and worship,” Foster said. “We want to encourage people at the local level to continue to keep on with the efforts that promote visible, Christian unity where people can serve the world and serve others in the name of Christ.”
