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Area churches to mark 200th anniversary of the birth of the Christian Association
dbachman@observer-reporter.com
When Thomas Campbell immigrated to the United States from Northern Ireland in 1807, he was searching for religious freedom.
He didn't quite find what he was looking for upon his arrival, but two years later, he certainly succeeded in creating it, writing the "Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington," a reform movement that united Christian churches, Churches of Christ and Disciples in Christ in what remains the oldest and largest Christian group in the United States. In Washington and Greene counties, there are 29 congregations.
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Campbell wrote the declaration in his home near Hickory, and it was printed on site at The Washington Reporter. A replica printing press in the O-R lobby annually attracts visitors from throughout the country.
"The European religious divisions did not make sense. Most of our ancestors moved here to get away from that," said the Rev. David Felty of First Christian Church in Washington. "As far as we can tell, it's the first movement in Christian history where people came together instead of splitting."
Campbell's declaration called for Christians of all denominations to meet together in work and worship as, according to the Rev. David Mansfield of Fairhill Manor Christian Church in Washington, "opportunities made such togetherness an important witness to Jesus Christ."
In a preface to the abridged edition of the declaration, it states that historians have long recognized the document "as one of the great milestones on the path of Christian unity in America ... a declaration of independence to all those on the frontier who desired to transcend the sectarian spirit."
When Campbell settled in Southwestern Pennsylvania, he was assigned to the Chartiers Presbytery. He was well-received wherever he preached, but he soon came under fire from his peers for offering ministerial services, including Communion, to people outside his denomination and those, said Mansfield, with no religious background. Within the year, he was suspended from the Presbyterian ministry and rebuked by the Associate Synod.
Undeterred, Campbell began to preach where he could, and that included barns, homes and neighborhood meeting houses. Slowly, he began to develop a following, and in the summer of 1809, he prepared a mission statement that, on Sept. 7, 1809, became known as the "Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington."
Among the 13 propositions in the address, Campbell noted that "the division among the Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils. ... It is antinatural, as it excites Christians to condemn, to hate and oppose one another, who are bound by the highest and most endearing obligation to love each other as brethren, even as Christ has loved them."
The first meeting house of the Disciples was built in 1811 in Brush Run by the Christian Association of Washington, and Campbell began baptizing new members by immersion.
Before Campbell's death, his oldest son, Alexander Campbell, who fervently helped his father with the reform movement, continued Campbell's ministry, first in Pennsylvania, then from his home in Bethany, W.Va.
"Both were known to have an opinion," said Cathy Mansfield, who spearheaded the bicentennial celebration. "Alexander was a flashy debater. Thomas was more reflective, quieter."
It was their belief that Communion was an opportunity for worshippers to share Scripture and prayers, and that's why, to this day, Communion is observed every Sunday in the church, said Ruth Ann Peters, a member of First Christian Church and the bicentennial celebration committee.
"We understand the important history of Communion," added Cathy Mansfield, noting that in Campbell's day, there were two chalices at the Communion site: one for tobacco users, and one for those who didn't chew.
The early history of the Christian Church is shared by another group. Barton W. Stone also had broken away from the Presbyterian Church and formed a church at Cane Ridge in Bourbon County, Ky., independent of Campbell's movement in Pennsylvania.
"It has two birthplaces. They've never been able to make up their minds," Felty chuckled.
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Bicentennial celebration
Saturday
Bethany, W.Va.
1 to 6 p.m. - Tours of the Alexander Campbell mansion
2:30 p.m. - The movie, "Wrestling with God," at Bethany Memorial Church
4 p.m. - Lecture on the "Declaration and Address" by Dr. Larry Grimes at the old Meeting House
Sunday
Downtown Washington
1 p.m. - Booths, historical sites, buggy rides, entertainment, music and walking tours
2:30 p.m. - Frontier-style worship in a covered seating area and children's activities
