Eastwood Christian Church(Disciples of Christ) Building Community in East Nashville |
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Eastwood Christian Church
Eastwood
Christian Church is a congregation with a rich history and a bright
future. Since its origins as the Woodland Street Christian Church
in 1871, ECC has been in ministry in East Nashville, sharing the
community's ups and downs. After being destroyed by the great fire
in 1916 and again by the tornado of 1930, the present ECC buildings
were built in 1933 (Religious Education Building) and 1951
(sanctuary). Currently the church is joyfully growing and enjoying
the resurgence of community life in East Nashville. We are enjoying
wonderful music, growing fellowship, and a vibrant children's
ministry (including a wonderful nursery). We continue to be
committed to outreach ministries to serve our
neighbors.
Who is the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ)?
The Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) originated on the American Frontier during
the early 19th Century. We are often referred to as the most
"American" of Christian denominations because the ideals of the
"Spirit of '76" had a major impact on our beginnings. Our first
leaders were Barton Stone, Thomas Campbell, and Alexander Campbell;
Presbyterians who reacted against sectarian frontier religion and
urged a union of all Christians founded upon the restoration of New
Testament Christianity. They advocated believer's baptism by
immersion and weekly observance of The Lord's Supper.
Worship styles vary from
congregation to congregation, but all Disciples congregations
observe The Lord's Supper each Sunday. The symbol of our
denomination is a chalice bearing the X shaped cross of St. Andrew.
The chalice represents the centrality of the Lord's Supper and the
St. Andrew's cross symbolizes our Scottish Presbyterian
heritage.
Disciples live by the
admonition, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials liberty; in
all things, love." Creeds may be used in worship and teaching, but
they are not seen as tests of fellowship. We hold that the
scriptures witness to all things necessary for salvation, and we
encourage each person to study the scriptures and to seek God's
will for their life. The unity of all Christians continues to be
held before us as our "polar star." The Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) has always served as a "bridge church" or a common
ground for people with diverse denominational
backgrounds.
As Disciples of Christ,
we believe that all people are created by God and therefore
entitled to respect and freedom. Freedom to think for ourselves,
govern our own congregations, interpret the Bible in our contexts.
"Unity with diversity" has long been a motto. We value open
discussion, even disagreement, as we seek to interpret and express
our understanding of God's will for ourselves and our society.
While we do not confuse unity with uniformity, "Unity" is indeed a
polar star. We believe God seeks the reconciliation of all divided
peoples...whether by age, race, gender, nationality, or any other
human division. As Disciples we also believe in individual
responsibility...that every member is a minister, responsible to
use their spiritual gifts in the service of God's
mission.
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| You are always welcome at Eastwood Christian Church | |||||||